Sol of the Mystery Dungeon
by nemesis1807
Summary: Sol wakes up on a beach with no idea how she got there, who she is, or why she suddenly looks like a Riolu. She teams up with Eevee to form an exploration team, and maybe, with a bit of luck, figure out just who she is. (PMD: Explorers of Sky) Please review!
1. Sol and the Awakening

The first thing she became aware of was the crashing of waves. It sounded so nice, so peaceful, she was content to just lie there and listen. She gradually became more aware of her surroundings. The sand felt so warm and soft, she didn't want to move, but then a voice intruded her blissful state.

"What happened?! Are you OK!"

She cracked open an eye, and was greeted by the sight of a bright blue sky, whispy white clouds, and a shining yellow sun. It seemed to her to be the most beautiful and wonderful sight that had ever existed.

"You're awake! Thank goodness! You wouldn't move at all. I was really scared for you! Do you have any idea how you ended up unconscious out here?"

She struggled to push herself up to sitting, seeing that she was on a beach. She felt…weird, like she wasn't herself. Wasn't she supposed to be doing something, something important? She shook her head. It was like a fog had settled over her mind, making it impossible to think clearly.

"Anyway, I'm Eevee. Happy to meet you!"

She blinked, and finally looked at the speaker. He was a small, four legged creature with brown and white fur and long ears. A satchel hung around his neck and over his shoulder.

"And who are you? I don't think I've seen you around before."

She thought hard at this. Who was she? A human, maybe? But no, that didn't sound right. Close, but not quite.

She must have said something out loud, for a shocked expression appeared on Eevee's face.

"What? You say you're a human? You look like a totally normal Riolu to me! Well, maybe except for the eyes…"

She started at this. She looked down at her hands… no, her paws. She had paws?! She shot to her feet and looked around. She had a tail!? She spun around for a moment, trying to get a good look, before sprinting to the ocean's edge where her image was reflected in the water. She appeared to be a bipedal fox-like creature covered in black and blue fur. She was a Pokémon, Riolu!

Then she looked at her eyes, and all she could do was stare. They were a shocking shade of light blue, shaped like tall ovals instead of circles.

"You're… a little odd… Are you pulling some kind of trick on me?"

The newly turned Riolu turned back to Eevee and simply shook her head, at a complete loss for words.

"You're telling the truth? OK, how about your name? What's your name?"

_My name?_ Sol tried to focus. The fog still clouded her mind, but it was getting thinner and becoming easier to think.

"I'm… Sol."

Eevee nodded. "OK. Well, you don't seem to be a bad Pokémon, at least." He smiled apologetically. "Sorry that I doubted you. More and more bad Pokémon have been turning up lately, you see! A lot of Pokémon have gotten aggressive. It's just not safe anymore…"

Right on cue, a bat-like Pokémon, Zubat, and a hovering purple Pokémon, Koffing, charged down the beach. The Zubat slammed into Eevee, sending him flying and causing a stone of sorts to fall out of his bag.

"Well, I do beg your pardon," Koffing said.

Eevee picked himself off the ground and whirled around angrily to face the two Pokémon. "Hey! Why'd you do that?!"

"Heh-heh-heh!" Zubat laughed. "Can't figure it out?" We wanted to mess with you! Can't face up to us, can you?! That's yours, isn't it?" he said, turning to the fallen stone.

"That's…!"

"Sorry, kiddo. We'll take that!" Zubat said gleefully as he scooped up the object.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Not gonna make a move to get it back? What's the matter? Too scared? I didn't expect that you'd be such a big coward!" Koffing chuckled. "Come on, let's get out of here."

With that, the two thieves ran to the nearby entrance to a damp, sand filled cave.

Sol was furious with what she had just witnessed. Her tail twitched back and forth, her teeth were bared and a low growl escaped her throat, automatic and subconscious reactions of her new body.

She saw the crushed and sorrowful expression on Eevee's face, easily read despite the alien features, and simply said "follow me. We'll get back what was stolen."

Sol charged into the cave, closely followed by a much more hopeful and determined looking Eevee.


	2. Sol and the Driftwood

It was difficult to adjust to her new body. Her center of gravity was off, her senses, especially her sense of smell, were much sharper to the point that everything was overpowering, and the tail was something that would definitely take some getting used to.

They moved through the cave slowly at first, then picked up the pace as Sol became more acclimatized to her new Riolu body. That's when they began to run into other Pokémon.

The Kabuto, Corsola, Shelder and Shellos that called the beach cave home did not take kindly to Sol's and Eevee's presence and attacked on sight without warning.

Sol was rather surprised at how well Eevee handled these attacks. She fully expected him to freeze up as he had done with Koffing and Zubat, but he jumped right into battle alongside Sol, and was actually more effective than she was.

Eevee would first whip his tail around, and would then tackle the enemy as its attention drifted to his tail. Sol, however, had no idea what she was doing. She would trip over her own feet, overestimate her reach and underestimate her speed.

"Sol!" Eevee yelled from across the room. "Use your moves! You're a Pokémon now!"

And of course, there was her problem. She was trying to fight like a human when she should've been fighting like a Riolu. She experimentally flexed her paws, and sure enough claws sprouted forth. She darted forth in a quick attack that finished off a Shellos, only to be immediately tackled by a Corsola.

_Better, but I still don't know how to use my moves. Best to stop thinking so much and rely more on instincts._

She jumped forward with another quick attack on the Corsola, followed up with a bite.

_Ugh, that tastes nasty…_

With Sol able to fight a bit more competently, the pair progressed more quickly through the cave. The more they fought, the more easily fighting came to Sol. The fog that clouded her mind began to clear, making it easier to think, but she still couldn't remember anything about her past.

They made their way to the deepest part of the beach cave. Driftwood littered the sandy floor, and pools of water lined the cavern where walls of stone rose up. Zubat and Koffing were at the far end of the room, facing away from Sol and Eevee.

"Um…Hey!" Eevee called out nervously.

"Well, well… If it isn't our old friend, the big chicken," Koffing snickered.

Eevee steeled himself, trying to muster what courage he had. "Give me… give me back what you stole from me! That's my personal treasure! It means everything to me!"

"Treasure, you say? So that thing really is valuable, huh?" Zubat said with an evil smile.

"It could be worth more than we'd hoped for, I'd say," Koffing added. "Who knows? It might get a good price. Whoa-ho-ho! All the more reason not to give it back."

Eevee started to panic. "You can't!"

"If you want it back that badly… Come and get it! Heh-heh-heh!"

Zubat swooped down to attack Eevee while Koffing advanced on Sol, unleashing a poison gas attack. Sol backpedaled put couldn't escape the cloud. Her lungs burned and her eyes watered. Koffing rushed forward with a tackle, leaving barely enough time for Sol to brace herself.

The force of the move sent her back a few steps, but she was able to endure the hit. She retaliated with a quick attack, but Koffing was able to move back out of her range while unleashing another poison gas attack.

_This isn't working, _Sol thought as she endured the hit. _My reach isn't long enough, and he can attack from range! Damn these stubby Pokémon arms!_

Sol quickly scanned the room for anything she could use to her advantage. Her eyes landed on a piece of bleached-white driftwood that lay between her and Koffing.

She rushed forward in another quick attack, grabbing the wood in the process. It lengthened her reach enough so that Koffing couldn't escape the blow. Wielding the driftwood like a club, she struck again while he was dazed.

Faster and faster, the strikes came again and again until Koffing slumped to the ground. Sol turned to see how Eevee fared.

Zubat had him caught in a leech life attack. The cuts and bruises on his skin were healing before her eyes, while simultaneously Eevee was groxing weaker and weaker.

Sol came up behind him and brought the down her weapon on his head with a resounding Crack! The make-shift club broke in two as Zubat fell to the ground.

Sol twirled the piece of broken driftwood in her hand, a cocky grim plastered on her face.

"Just goes to show that violence solves everything."


	3. Sol and the Registraion

"Thank you very much!" Eevee said with an expression of pure joy.

They were now back on the beach outside the cave. The sunning was beginning to set, turning the sky a beautiful pink and the water a bright gold.

"Here's what they stole," Eevee said as he placed the stone object on the ground.

As Sol looked at the item, she couldn't help but think _We went through all that for this?_ Sure, it had an interesting pattern inscribed on the top, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be copied, maybe onto something lighter and less awkward to carry than a chunk of rock.

"This is a relic fragment… Well, at least that's what I started calling it… But this relic fragment, it's my precious treasure. You see, I've always liked legends and lore…"

_Ah, now it makes sense,_ Sol thought as Eevee talked with stars in his eyes about exploring and far away places. _It's more to him than just something pretty to look at. It signifies all he aspires to but could never do._

"I want to solve the mystery of my relic fragment! So earlier, I tried joining an exploration team as an apprentice, but…" Eevee looked out across the water, avoiding Sol's gaze. "I was too cowardly… What about you, Sol? What are you going to do now? You lost your memory, and you somehow transformed into a Pokémon… Do you have any place to stay?"

That was something Sol hadn't thought of. She had been completely focused on the present, she hadn't planned on the future. If she had a past, friends, a home, she couldn't recall it now.

"If not, can I ask a huge favor? Would you form an exploration team with me? I think we could make a good exploration team together, Sol. So will you do that with me? Please?"

Sol was shocked by the sudden question. Eevee barely knew Sol, yet wanted to form a team with her? It was true, she had no where to go, but it just seemed so… convenient. Sol quickly brushed her suspicions aside. She highly doubted anyone would patrol the beach hoping from some amnesia suffering human-turned-Pokémon to recruit.

Eevee seemed an all right person, if a bit naïve. He was skilled enough to be an asset. Sol had nothing to lose, and she could always quit later on.

She nodded and the small Pokémon's expression instantly brightened.

"Thank you! We're going to be a great combination! Let's make this work. First, we need to go to Wigglytuff's place and sign up as apprentices. That's where we can get the training to become a proper exploration team. I think the training will be very tough… so let's give it our best, Sol!"

Eevee happily skipped up the path leading away from the beach. Sol sighed and followed, wondering how long it would be before Eevee's constant enthusiasm drove her insane.

Wigglytuff's guild stood on a cliff overlooking the sea, the setting sun a luminous backdrop. Flames crackled in iron bowls on either side of the entrance, and it would have been an impressive sight if the building itself hadn't looked completely ridiculous.

It was shaped like an oversized pink Pokémon, probably Wigglytuff. Despite the comical appearance, Eevee looked absolutely terrified. It took all the courage he could muster simply to stand on the wooden grate in front of the building's entrance.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!" called a voice from beneath the grate.

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" came a second voice, unnecessarily loud.

"The footprint is Eevee's! The footprint is Eevee's!"

By this point, Eevee was shaking, but to his credit didn't bolt. _Courage is not the absence of fear but the will to press on despite it,_ came a thought unbidden to Sol's mind. She frowned. Where had that come from?

"You may ENTER! Someone's with you! So get that stranger to stand up THERE!"

Ignoring the question of why they bothered with footprints when they could see to tell how many people there were, Sol calmly stepped onto the grate.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

Sol suppressed a sigh. Did they really need to go through all that again?

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is… The footprint is… Um… Maybe Riolu's! Maybe Riolu's!"

There was a short pause followed by the sound of bickering that drifted up from somewhere beneath the grate. Sol looked over at Eevee, who simply shrugged.

"Sorry to make you WAIT! It's true you don't see many Riolu around these parts… You may ENTER!"

_As if I wouldn't stick out enough already, _Sol thought as the gate rumbled open. _Not only am I a human turned Pokémon, that Pokémon just had to be rare._

Chatot was a dick. Everything the colorful bird Pokémon said in that annoying sing-song voice of his spoke of his oh-so superior attitude and he looked down on Sol as if she were something he had scrapped off his boots (if Pokémon wore boots, that is)._ The guild master must have been soft in the head to have appointed this self-centered jerk second in command, _Sol thought.

And as it turned out, she was right.

"Hiya! I'm Wigglytuff!" The pink Pokémon gleefully said. "I'm the guild's Guildmaster! You want to form an exploration team? Then, let's go for it!"

Sol cast a sidelong look at Wigglytuff. She wasn't sure whether his bubbly nature was endearing or annoying. Still, if he managed to become the head of a guild, there must be more than what meets the eye.

He did a little dance around the room before stopping in front of Eevee and Sol.

OK then, a lot more.

"First we must register your exploration team's name!"

"Oh? Our team name? I didn't think about that," Eevee said sheepishly. "So what do you think would be a good name for us, Sol?"

"Wanderers."

The name was out before she could even think about it. She wasn't sure where it had come from, but it just sounded… right.

"All settled then! I'll register your team as Wanderers. Registering! Registering!" Wigglytuff sang while not doing anything that remotely resembled any form of registering. "YOOM TAH!" He jumped into the air. "Congratulations! From now on, you're an official exploration team!"


	4. Sol and the Cheers

Sol's eyes shot open, only to clench tightly shut in pain as she pressed her paws against her ears in a vain attempt to block out the all-consuming noise. It was all one incomprehensible shriek, and all she could do was curl up and hope it would end before her eardrums exploded.

After an extremely painful moment, the noise mercifully stopped. Sol remained dazed on her bed of soft straw. There was a rustling from the other side of the room as Eevee pushed himself up to sitting.

"Urk! My ears are still ringing... What did he say?" Eevee groaned.

Sol cracked open an eyelid. "I couldn't even tell that was a voice, much less what it was saying."

Eevee chuckled, then snapped to his feet as he came upon a sudden realization. "Oh yeah! We signed up as apprentices at Wigglytuff's guild, that's right! But that means... Waaah! We overslept! Come on, Sol!"

Sol labourisly got to her feet and stumbled down the rough stone hallway the excited bundle of brown and white fur.

In a large, open room, Pokémon stood assembled in two rows. Eevee and Sol hurried and joined the line up, though not before attracting unwanted attention.

"You're LATE rookies!" said a loud, blue Loudred, his mouth hanging perpetually open. Sol flinched at the voice, recalling the debilitating noise she had woken to. It seems she had found the wake-up caller.

"Hush!" Chatot demanded. "Your voice is ridiculously loud."

Having sufficiently chastised the offender, Chatot regarded the group. A Croagunk, Chimecho, Bidoff, Sunflora and Sol stood in the front row, a Dugtrio, Corpinish, Loudred, Diglett and Eevee stood on the back.

"Everyone seems to be present," Chatot sang. "Very well. Let us conduct our morning address. Guildmaster!" he called, turning to the door opposite the rows of Pokémon. "The guild is in full attendance!"

The door slammed open, and Wigglytuff confidently marched out. He stood in front of the Pokémon of his guild, holding an aura of authority and control, sure of his abilities and the power he held. He opened his mouth, surely to give some inspiring speech to those under his tutelage that would demonstrate his intelligence and worthiness to lead the guild...

"Hide in the gift shop. The flying mutant gnomes are allergic to postcards..." He mumbled.

Sol through her head back and laughed, earning a glare from Chatot.

"Thank you, sir! We all value your.. words of wisdom!"

Wigglytuff snored loudly and his head lolled to the side.

Chatot cringed slightly but otherwise continued on. "Take our Guildmaster's words of wisdom to heart! Finally, let's not forget our morning cheers! All together now!"

"ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK!" came a chorus of voices.

"TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY!" Sol really hoped these weren't a daily occurance.

"THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" _Yep, that's going to get really annoying, really fast._

"HOORAY!" Everyone cheered before breaking off from the group and scattering across the guild. Wigglytuff, having been woken by the sound, looked around dazedly before heading back to his room.


	5. Sol and the Man-Purse

**Note from the author: Props to Artemis173 for the sole review (pun unintended) of this story. Keep in mind, I won't be getting any better at my writing without some feedback, so write me some reviews! Comments, suggestions, death threats. I'm not picky.**

"What are we supposed to be doing?" Eevee whispered.

Sol glanced around the room and saw that most of the apprentices were going up the rough, wooden stairs to the middle floor of the guild.

"I don't know. Maybe we should just follow them…"

"Hey, you shouldn't just be **_wandering_** around there." Chatot laughed at his own joke, causing Sol to roll her eyes. "You two, follow me."

Up the stairs into a room somewhat smaller than the one below it, the three stood in front of a bulletin board cluttered with papers. Sol could only stare uncomprehendingly.

_Are those… footprints?_

Sure enough, a collection of varying footprints were sketched on the pages. They meant nothing to Sol, and she was left wondering what they were and what they meant.

"This is the Job Bulletin Board," Chatot announced. "Pokémon from various regions post job requests here. You're aware that bad Pokémon are cropping up in greater numbers, right?"

"Yup," Eevee answered. "Because the flow of time is getting messed up. It's wreaking havoc, right? Which is why lots of bad Pokémon are appearing."

_What?! Time is getting messed up? What does that even mean, and how is that possible?_

"Well, aren't you're well informed!" Chatot said in a tone one would use to praise a pet that performed an amusing trick. "Time getting out of whack has caused an outbreak of bad Pokémon. Perhaps, because of that, we have seen an increase in the number of jobs. So… let's look for a job that you should perform!"

Chatot quickly scanned the requests and plucked down a page.

"Ah, yes! Maybe this will do?"

Chatot handed the paper to Sol, who immediately passed it on to Sol. They both gave her an odd look, but she offered no explanation.

"Ok, I'll read it," Eevee said.

Hello! My name is Spoink! An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession. My precious pearl! That pearl is life itself… to me! I just can't seem to settle down if that pearl isn't in its proper place atop my head! But I've heard my pearl has been sighted! It's said to be in Drenched Bluff! But the bluff is reported to be extremely unsafe. I could never go somewhere so frightening. Oh, friendly readers! Would you be so kind as to go to the bluff and get my pearl? I beg your help exploration team members!

"Wait a second…" Eevee said after he finished reading the request. "We're going to fetch an item that someone dropped?!"

"It's important you rookies pay your dues!" Chatot snapped. "I suggest you get on with the job."

With that, Chatot marched off back down the stairs.

"Ugh. I can't believe we're stuck doing this pointless job," Eevee complained. "We're an exploration team! We should be exploring lost places and finding ancient treasure, not fetching random items!"

"Eevee, what would you have done if I refused to help you find **_your_** lost item? This pearl is probably as important to Spoink as your relic fragment is to you."

Eevee blinked once, then shame swept across his features. "Oh, it probably isn't fair for me to think that, is it? Exploration teams are supposed to help people too, and I suppose that's what we'll be doing. Sorry for the crummy attitude."

"No need. Your just excited to be on a team, which is understandable. Come on, then. We have a job to do.

They climbed the stairs to the topmost floor of the guild and walked down to the crossroads. Sol knew that the south path led to the beach, north was back to the guild, and she could see buildings down the path to the west. Eevee led them down the eastern path, pulling a scroll from his ever-present bag.

They stopped at the side of the road. With the crinkle of paper, Eevee unrolled the scroll to reveal a map worn from use. It was detailed and colored, a legend in the bottom corner featuring neatly drawn footprints.

_How many hours has Eevee spent, pouring over this map and planning explorations and adventures he never found the courage to follow through with?_

"Now we're here," Eevee said, pointing to a spot in the center near the left edge. "And we need to go… here." He lightly tapped a spot slightly to the northeast. "Its pretty close, so it shouldn't takes us that long to get there."

He rolled up the map and placed it back in his bag. They continued down the path at a leisurely pace.

It was a beautiful morning. The sky was a clear, sapphire blue, the trees and grass lining the dirt path a bright, emerald green. The vibrancy of it all took Sol's breath away, and her eyes flicked from sight to sight, color to color, trying to drink it all in.

"And then we killed him and ate him."

"What?" Sol asked, turning back to her brow-furred teammate.

"Now that got your attention," Eevee smiled. "You were just completely zoned out. Is something wrong?"

"No, just, look at it all." Sol gestured to their surroundings. "Isn't it all just so… wonderful?"

"Ah… what?"

"I mean, look at this."

Sol walked off the path to a nearby tree and ran her fingers along the rough textured bark. "It's all so **_alive._**"

"It's just a tree, Sol. They're everywhere."

"And that makes them any less great?"

Sol snapped a small branch off the tree and returned to the road. She held up the dark brown branch with its wide, green leaves, then snapped it to the side, revealing the luminous blue sky behind it.

Snap, green. Snap, blue.

"You're… really weird sometimes…"

"No, I'm weird all the time. You just don't notice," Sol informed him with a grin.

They kept walking with Sol's attention focused on the branch she help above her head, craning her neck to see it.

Snap, green. Snap, blue.

_Why does it feel like I haven't seen colors in a long time?_

"Can I ask you a question, Sol? Why didn't you read the job request earlier?"

Snap, green. Snap, blue.

"Sol?"

Snap, green.

"I couldn't read it," she answered quietly.

"What do you mean?"

Snap, blue.

"I looked at it, but the writing didn't make any sense to me. Maybe it's because of my amnesia, or maybe I have always used a different form of writing. Or maybe I'm simply illiterate, I don't know."

Sol braced herself for the condemnation, the judgment she was sure was coming.

Snap, green.

"If you want, I could teach you later."

Sol looked down to Eevee and saw no judgment in his features. Just a friend offering help, and Sol immediately felt guilty for thinking so little of him.

"That sounds great."

Sol dropped the branch, and they quietly stood together on the path.

_Well this is unbelievably awkward._

Sol looked around for anything to break the silence.

"So, what else to you keep in that man-purse of yours?"

"It's a satchel!"

Sol laughed and began walking. "A rose by any other name is still a man-purse."

"Satchel!" Eevee insisted with a hint of a smile.


	6. Sol and the Rodeo

As soon as they arrived at Drenched Bluff, Sol knew she was going to hate the place. It was dark, dank, and the locals none too friendly. They moved cautiously along the stone floor made slick with water, through a labyrinth of cold, wet rock and around wide pools of collected water.

"This place is a maze!" Sol exclaimed. "How are we supposed to find anything in a place like this?"

"Don't worry, we'll find it," Eevee said with complete confidence.

They entered a small, enclosed room with several off shooting paths. Sol's brow furrowed. She could have sworn they had been in this room before. How had they gotten turned around?

"Well, I'm completely lost. Want to lead for a while?"

"Sure," Eevee replied happily.

He picked a path seemingly at random then skipped off cheerfully, leaving Sol to trail behind him. Eevee could just be so sickeningly cheerful sometimes. They had just spent hours wandering aimlessly around a rather unpleasant cave and he acted like they had just taken a stroll in the park. He jumped between emotions in their extremes and their was no middle ground. It was starting to get a little annoying.

_And what does he think if me? _Sol wondered as she walked down the narrow passage. _What does Eevee think of the amnesiac human-turned-Riolu?_

There was an alarmed shout from up ahead, and Sol realized that she had fallen behind. She ran to the end of the path and entered a cavernous room bordered by large pools of water. Near the center of the room a pack of four Anorith were circling Eevee. Whenever he would try to attack, he left himself open for the sharp, pinching claws of another in the group. Eevee was unable to escape the circle and was close to panic.

Sol didn't wait but ran forward. Her own claws shot out as she jumped onto the back of an Anorith. She attempted to use the move scratch on the Pokémon, but the chitin plates that encased its body easily deflected the attack.

The Anorith bucked and jumped as it tried to throw Sol off. She dug her claws into the gaps between its natural armor. This served to anchor Sol to the Pokémon, and also to enrage it. Bubbles frothed from its mouth as it scuttled angrily around the room. Eevee broke free through the gap this created.

While Sol may have lost her memory, she was still pretty sure that riding a rampaging, giant arthropod was the weirdest thing she had ever done. The Anorith was well and truly pissed now, running in tight circles and waving its claws around like a maniac while a froth of bubbles continued to grow at its mouth.

"Sol!"

She glanced over to Eevee who was holding off two Anorith. There was no sign of the fourth one.

"Break this above its head!"

Sol reached out to catch Eevee's thrown item, nearly falling off the Anorith in the process. She hunched low over its grey plated back and examined the object.

It was a large seed of some sort with a green core enclosed in a translucent yellow shell. Sol wasn't quite sure what Eevee expected to happen, but she did as she was told and crushed the seed between her fingers, releasing a cloud of green powder. It drifted down to land on the Anorith's face and the effects were nearly instantaneous.

The Pokémon stilled, claws still poised in the air and muscles completely tense, then collapsed to the ground. Sol carefully got off its back and regarded its sleeping form.

_Did I just drug an Anorith?_

Sol shook herself and went to help Eevee. There would be time later to think about this.

One of the remaining Anorith was already retreating with gouges scratched into its chitin armor. Eevee's attacks were considerably stronger than Sol's. It may have been because he had more experience with moves having used them all his life, or maybe it was because Sol, at her core, just wasn't a Pokémon and these things would never come naturally to her.

Sol darted forward to the last Anorith with a quick attack, not doing much damage but drawing its attention long enough for Eevee to use tackle. The Anorith scuttled backwards, mouth bubbling and making odd clicking sounds as it regarded its two attackers.

_What is it waiting for? We've gotten rid of all its friends, and it can't think that it has a chance by itself…_

There was a splash from behind Sol and she whirled around to late to stop the fourth Anorith, the one they had lost track of, from emerging from the water behind Sol covered in glistening droplets and grip her around the ankle. With a shout, Sol was pulled into the water.

She panicked and flailed about, even when the hold on her ankle was gone. The pool was deeper than it had first appeared and Sol quickly lost all sense of what was up and what was down. All reason left her to be replaced with an all-consuming fear.

Something grabbed onto her arm, and Sol struck out blindly. It disappeared, only to latch on more firmly. Once again she struggled, but there was a stab of pain as sharp claws dug into her arm, tightening the grip. Black dots began to blot her vision as her body cried out for air. She continued to try and fight back weakly, but the hold didn't lessen. It pulled her upwards and she was dragged out of the water.

On hands and knees beside the pool, Sol choked and coughed up water as someone pounded on her back. When she was finally able to breathe properly, she looked to see Eevee, water dripping from his sodden fur.

"Are you going to be all right?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, but I guess we learned something else about me. I may be a horrible swimmer but I'm remarkably good at drowning. Thanks for pulling me out of there. I didn't exactly make it easy for you."

"What are partners for? Come on. We still need to find that pearl."

Looking like a pair of drowned rats, the two of them made their way through Drenched Bluff. Amid the squelching footsteps and dank passageways, Sol realized she hadn't been treating Eevee as she should. She had viewed him as naïve, almost like a child who never understands anything, not ever giving him a chance to prove himself. She had stuck a label on him when they had first met and never bothered to change it. Though it was painful to admit, Sol had basically been using him to understand this place and make a place for herself in it. She vowed then to become the partner he needed and watch out for him as he watched out for her. She was a member of a team now, and it was past time she acted like it.

…

The pearl was pale pink in color and large enough for Sol to wonder how Spoink didn't get a serious neck injury carrying it around on his head all day.

The grey Pokémon bounced about the guild's upper underground room on the spring that served as his legs. Spoink thanked Eevee and Sol profusely and gave them a paper bag full of items accompanied by a wad of cash.

As Spoink happily bounced away up the guild's stairs, Eevee exclaimed "$2 000! We're rich Sol! All of a sudden, we're rich!"

Eevee did a little dance around the room and Sol couldn't help but smile at his antics. She wasn't quite sure the worth of money in this place, or what $2 000 equated to, but Eevee was down right ecstatic.

"Well done, team!" Chatot sang.

_Praise from Chatot? Oh, this can't be good…_

Sol had a sinking feeling as the guild's second came over.

"Now hand that money over, if you please!" he said and practically ripped it from Eevee's hands.

Sol bristled. "Just what do you think you're doing? That's our money!"

Chatot gave her a condescending look and proceeded to count through the money. "A portion of the money from jobs goes to the Guildmaster, you see. Your team's share comes out to this much."

"We keep only 200?" Eevee said, looking crestfallen. "That's not fair!"

"Well that's the guild's rule. You simply have to accept it," he replied with a self-satisfied smirk and moved to walk away.

"Hold on," Sol said and blocked his path. "You're telling me that the guild takes **ninety percent** of the money that we put ourselves at risk to earn?"

"Yes," Chatot answered, looking annoyed.

"Ninety percent**?** **Ninety?** I could understand some money, for apprentice fees, room and board, all that stuff, but from what I've seen that wouldn't come out to all that much."

Sol stepped closer to Chatot, directly in his face. "Are you sure that's the guild rule, or just **your** rule?"

Chatot was getting nervous know, eyes flicking around the room, searching for some way out of the confrontation.

_He's a coward,_ Sol realized. _He's a coward who preys on those he believes won't stand up to him._

Sol was no victim, however, and she wouldn't let him try to pull anything on Eevee, not while she was around to watch his back.

"My rules are the guild's rules, and the guildmaster trusts me to enforce them…"

"Really? Then I suppose you wouldn't mind if I check with Wigglytuff about how much we actually owe to the guild." Sol turned to go down the stairs leading to the lowest floor.

"Wait now! Let's not be rash. There's no reason to bother the Guildmaster with such an easily solved problem." Chatot was very worried now. "I may have… miscalculated how much money goes to the guild. Here, let me check."

Chatot took the money back from Eevee and counted it out into two separate piles.

"Here, this is thirty percent-" Sol glared at him, issuing a soft growl. "-and it goes to the guild. This is your team's share."

Eevee took the money, looking a bit confused over what had passed. As Chatot left, he looked to Sol.

"What exactly just happened?"

Sol grinned. "I just saved us a whole lot of money and knocked Chatot down a peg in the process. I'd call this a successful day."


	7. Sol and the Flashback

The bottom floor of the guild was awash with noise. Eevee and Sol were the last to return and the other recruits were clustered in groups talking animatedly amongst themselves. They didn't notice the two as they entered the room.

Sol sat down with her back against the wall and Eevee sat down beside her. He then began to transfer the items from Spoinks bag to his own multi-pocketed satchel.

"What was that you threw to me earlier?"

"Oh, that was a sleep seed," he explained. He dug around in his bag and pulled out a variety of seeds. They each had a translucent yellow shell with conveniently colour coded cores. Green was sleep seed, yellow was stun seed, light blue was heal heal seed, pink was totter seed, dark blue was reviver seed and orange was blast seed. Quite the plant life they must have around here to get seeds like that.

A bell chimed and Sol looked up to see a chimecho exit a doorway opposite the hall that led to the guild rooms on the other side of the room.

"Ok everybody, dinner's ready!" the chimecho called out and quickly disappeared back into the room.

There were literally shouts of joy as a herd of hungry, stampeding Pokémon, including Eevee, rushed from the room as if their lives depended on it. Sol ended up at the back of the group wondering what the hurry was all about. It wasn't as if the food was going to sprout legs and walk away in the few seconds it took to get to the dining room.

A long, wooden table dominated the room, laden with bowls of fruits, nuts and berries. Everyone took their places with Chatot at the head of the table, which Sol thought was rather presumptuous until she saw Wigglytuff to the side away from the table doing some sort of dance around a shiny red apple the size of Sol's head. By the time she took her place at the end of the table beside Eevee, everyone else had already filled their plates and were practically inhaling the food. There wasn't any conversation, no talk about the day, just an all-out free for all chow-down where the slow went hungry.

Sol grabbed what she could before it disappeared into the collective maw of the Pokémon. As the food supply dwindled, she even had to guard against the stray hands of particularly bold Pokémon seeking to steal her meal.

When the last bowl was picked clean, everyone headed off straight from the dining room to the dorm rooms, hollering out "good nights" as they settled down into their beds.

Eevee entered his room with Sol and plopped down tiredly on his bed.

"Today was pretty hectic with everything we went through, wasn't it? But I'm glad our first job turned out so well," Eevee said. "By the way, are you feeling all right? You didn't eat much at dinner."

"No, nothing wrong with my appetite, or anybody else's for that matter," Sol said with a laugh. "I'm not used to having to compete for my food. Was that normal when it comes to eating with Pokémon?"

"Pretty much. I never considered all the differences between being a human and being a Pokémon. A few things would take some getting used to."

"I'll manage, but for now let's get some sleep. If tomorrow is anything like today, we're going to need the rest."

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

Once again, Loudred's all to loud voice hit Sol like a load of bricks and she woke with a start. Her hand fumbled about, searching in vain for something she could throw at him.

Eevee and Sol joined the line-up outside the guild rooms. The apprentices, Wigglytuff (awake this time, as far as Sol could tell) and Chatot were already there, and they started off with the morning cheers.

After, the Pokémon ran off to whichever job they happened to have while Eevee and Sol followed Chatot up to the second floor. The guild's second made no mention of yesterday's confrontation, nor did he act any differently. This was fine by Sol, who in retrospect had to admit that it probably wasn't the smartest idea to antagonize the second most powerful person in the guild on the very first day of training. Making enemies before having any friends would end badly.

Chatot led them to a bulletin board on the right side of the room, near to a wide booth where Chimecho worked on some unknown task.

"Today we'll have you do a job listed on this side," he declared with a hint of a self-satisfied smirk, which made Sol uneasy.

"How is it different from the board on the other side?" she asked cautiously and took a closer look. Pages with pictures of various Pokémon were pinned to the board. The footprint runes beneath the picture revealed nothing to Sol, but she was starting to get a sneaking suspicion that Chatot hadn't forgotten about yesterday's threats so quickly, and they were about to pay the price.

"The Pokémon posted here… are outlaws," Chatot said with a dramatic pause, his voice filled with barely contained glee. "They're all shady characters and they're wanted for committing various crimes, so there are bounties on their heads. There are so many aggressive Pokémon around these days that everyone's finding it hard to keep up with the problem. And that's where you come in."

Eevee was nearing a nervous breakdown by this point, trembling and on the verge of tears.

"We're supposed to go catch outlaws!" he exclaimed. "No way, that's not possible! They're dangerous, and what if something happens? What are we supposed to do then? No, no, no, it'll all go wrong, we'll get beat up, they'll steal our stuff, then we'll get lost without any food, and then I'll fall down a hole and by the time Sol gets me out it'll be dark, and..."

Eevee babbled on for a long while, describing in detail how they were doomed to failure and ended his tirade with the two of them dying of thirst at the bottom of a ravine and their bodies not being found for days. It would seem that Eevee had an imagination to go along with his phobia.

_Thanks for the vote of confidence, partner._

"It's all part of your training. You'll work through it, I'm sure! But I suppose you do need to be prepared to confront a tough opponent, so I'll have someone give you a tour of the facilities."

Chatot turned and shouted down the ladder.

"Hey! Bidoof! Bidoof?!"

A minute later, a heavily breathing beaver Pokémon climbed up the ladder. He took a moment to catch his breath, and then said "You called?"

"Ah, Bidoof!" Chatot sang. "These are the new recruits that just joined us. Take them and show them around the town, and then help them to pick out a bounty to fulfill."

"Yes sirree! By golly, I'll do just that! Yup yup!" Bidoof said, far too excited considering two newbies just got dumped on him.

"This is Bidoof. He's one of your fellow apprentices. I want you to pay attention to what he has to say and follow his orders. Off you go!"

With that Chatot strutted off and Bidoof turned to the new recruits. Sol could have sworn there were actual tears in his eyes.

"Aw, shucks, I'm overjoyed!"

Yep, those were definitely tears.

"Why's that?" Eevee asked.

"I'm glad to have members junior to me! Before you all signed on, I was the most recent rookie. I'm overcome right now… I might just blubber with happiness!"

"Please don't," Sol said. She wasn't entirely sure what blubber meant as a verb, but she didn't want to see it. "And is it so bad being the newbie around here that you're reduced to tears when someone else comes along?"

"What? By golly, no! It's just great to have junior people to have to pass knowledge to. The others really helped me when I was new, and I thought… shucks, I've given you all the wrong impression now, haven't I? I'd best just show you around before I mess up again."

He led them down to the bottom floor of the guild.

"This room is where we hold all the guild meetings and such."

Bidoof pointed out three doorways, one leading to the mess hall, one to the crew rooms, and the last to the Guildmaster's quarters. Then he pointed out a booth with a large, empty cauldron where a Croagunk worked.

"Here we have Croagunk… but to tell the truth, I don't have any idea what the Pokémon's up to… he seems to be fiddling around with that big cauldron back there. It's all a mystery to me! Yup yup!"

_And I'm sure a lot of things are mysteries to you,_ Sol thought. And then _wow, I really am a bit of a jerk, aren't I?_

As Bidoof led them out of the guild and down the western path to the town, she tried and failed to suppress the bitch part of her brain when she thought that maybe it was her and Eevee that got saddled with Bidoof instead of the other way around.

_Again, wow. Was I like this before, or did it come with the memory loss?_

"Now here we are in TreasureTown!" Bidoof announced as he gestured to the surrounding buildings and stalls, all painted in bright colors and most shaped to resemble a certain Pokémon. "You can find just about anything here."

"Oh, I can tell you about TreasureTown, too," Eevee began and cheerfully pointed out the various establishments, his earlier near-breakdown just a memory. It was rather odd to Sol how quickly Eevee bounced around from one emotion to the next, to be nearly in tears one moment and downright cheerful the next.

"Yes sirree, you do know a lot about the town! Well, I'll be waiting back at the guild when you lot are down here and help you pick out an outlaw. By golly, you must have really impressed Chatot to have moved onto the second board already. It was months before I was even allowed to consider taking a bounty!"

"I think it was less about how much we impressed him and more about how much I pissed him off," Sol muttered under her breath as Bidoof disappeared down the path to the guild.

"Ok, let's go," Eevee said to Sol. "I'd like to see what kinds of items are available at the Kecleon Market."

"Right. Lead the way."

The market featured a wide assortment of goods set out on display under the watchful eyes of the two Kecleon brothers. The one with the dark green skin was called Grecks, the one with the light, almost blue shin was called Boln. Amis descriptions of their "must have" items, they told them that everyone just referred to them collectively as the Kecleon brothers.

"Because we're never far apart!" Grecks declared happily. "Now, what do you think of these apples? Freshly picked and you'll never find any juicier!"

Unabashed hawking of wares aside, Sol liked the brothers. They were always either echoing each other like a pair of sycophants, or they bickered in a good natured way. Back and forth they'd go, praising a certain item together befor disagreeing on some minor detail before cycling back again. It was rather fun to watch.

Sol scanned through the wares as Eevee chatted with the Kecleons about Luminous something-or-other and evolving, whatever that meant, until her eyes landed on a length of polished cherry-wood, the ends capped with bits of metal.

She lifted the staff off the table. It was strong, solid wood, smooth and unblemished. Holding it felt… good, almost familiar. Something niggled in the back of her mind, and then…

_She stood in the center of a barren field. Vague shapes approached from all sides. Obscured as they were she couldn't make out just what they were, but she knew without a doubt they were here for her. A feral grin spread across her features and she twirled the white staff in her hands with expert precision, the blades on its ends flashing in the dim light._

_They could try to bring her down, and they would fail._

Sol blinked and the moment was gone. What was that? A memory? What did it mean? She looked at the cherry staff in her hands. Whatever the case, she wanted this staff. And then she saw the price tag.

"What!? That much for a _stick_! I could lop a branch off a tree for free!"

"And what kind of craftsmanship would that have?" Boln asked as the two merchants walked over.

"That is specially treated wood from a forest far from here, crafted by a Shiftry hermit who excels at woodworking, " Grecks added. "I assure you, it is well worth the price."

With some regret, Sol returned the staff to the table. Worth it or not, ahe didn't have nearly enough money to pay for it.

"Misters Kecleon!"

Two little blue Pokémon ran up the road to the market.

"Ah! Little Marill and Azurill!" Grecks exclaimed. "Welcome, my young friends!"

"Hello," the smallest one, Azurill, said. "May I buy an apple?"

"Of course!"

Boln filled a brown paper bag and gave it to the kids. They skipped off happily down the road after paying.

"Those delightful children are brothers," the Kecleons informed Eevee and Sol. "Lately, their poor mother has fallen sick, so those youugsters come and do the shopping, as well as other errands. Though very young, they've stepped up and taken charge."

"Misters Kecleon!"

Marill and Azurill rushed back.

"There was an extra apple in the bag. We didn't pay for this many."

"Oh, yes… That, young friends, is a gift from me and my brother. Please, share it amongst yourselves and do enjoy."

That was a nice change. Sine awakening on the beach, Sol had met too many petty and selfish Pokémon (cough, Chatot, cough). It was nice to see some honesty and generosity for a change, even if it was a bit too sickeningly sweet for Sol's taste.

"Yay!" Azurill shouted in delight. "Thank you, Mr. Kecleon and Mr. Kecleon!"

"Oh, not to worry, my friends. Do take care on your way home."

The two set off again, only for Azurill to trip and fall, the apples spilling from the bag. Sol scooped them up off the ground.

"Sorry to bother you. Thanks," Azurill said as he picked himself off the ground and took back the fruits.

"No Problem," Sol began, but stopped as her hand brushed the other Pokémon's and she was hit with a wave of dizziness. She stumbled back.

_What was-_

Another wave, stronger this time.

_A dizzy spell, or-_

A third wave crashed over her, making her knees weak. Suddenly, her vision turned black.

_Don't tell me I have a brain tumor on top of everything else._

A bright, white light pierced the darkness and consumed her sight, and she heard the distinct sound of someone screaming for help.


	8. Sol and the Questioned Sanity

**Thanks for the reviews, Colt-a-Cola. Much appreciated. I know I'm not very good describing fight scenes. Give me some feedback from this one? Hopefully I can get better with some input.**

Sol's vision turned black once more before returning to normal. She looked around, but Azurill was running after his brother, apples in hand, while Eevee chatted with the Kecleon brothers. No one acted as if they had heard anything unusual.

"Is everything all right, Sol?" Eevee asked, noticing his distressed partner. "You look rather… pained."

"I don't know… I thought I… never mind. Let's finish up here and get back to Bidoof."

Eevee looked like he wanted to say something, but let the matter drop. They bid farewell to the Kecleons and started back to the guild.

_What was that?_ Sol wondered. _Did I imagine that sound? Or is something wrong with me? Other than the whole Riolu and amnesia thing, I mean._

They passed through the main square of Treasure Town, and there they saw the two brothers, Marill and Azurill, talking excitedly with a Drowzee.

"Yaaay!" Azurill cried.

"Thank you!" Marill exclaimed.

"Please! It's nothing," Drowzee said.

"What's happening?" Eevee asked, joining the group.

"Oh, hi!" Azurill said at Eevee's approach.

"Some time ago, we lost an item that's pretty important to us," Marill explained. "We've been looking all over, but we haven't found it yet. Then Mr. Drowzee came along, and he says he may have seen our lost item! He even offered to help us look for it!"

_What is with this place and lost items? At least it won't be me who has to go find it this time…_

"Oh, please. I'd have to have a cold heart to ignore kids in need," Drowzee said humbly. "I can't turn a blind eye! Let us be on our way to begin our search."

The three started off down the square.

"Whoops! Excuse me!" Drowzee apologized after bumping into Sol.

They continued on towards the crossroads, Marill and Azurill gushing out thank yous.

"Let's go, then. We need to get back to-"

Sol was cut off by a rushing wave of dizziness.

_Oh, not again…_

"Sol! What's wrong!"

"I don't-"

Another dizzy spell, turning everything hazy and undefined. It was worse than the last time and she fell on her hands and knees.

"Sol!"

Eevee's voice sounded as if it was coming from somewhere far away. He said something else in a panicked tone, but it was distorted and uncomprhensable.

There was a blinding flash if light and her vision turned black before:

A mountainous area, somewhere high up. Large rocks and boulders littered the ground of a flat plateau. A sheer cliff face formed a barrier on one side, steep drop-offs on the others, leaving only a winding narrow path as the only entrance or exit.

Drowzee stood in the center, his humble and kind facade stripped away to be replaced by menace and hostility as he confronted a terrified Azurill.

"If you keep being difficult, it will mean big trouble for you!" he threatened.

"HELP!" Azurill screamed.

Another flash of light, and Sol blinked as her vision cleared to see Eevee standing over her, looking frightened.

"Sol! What happened? Are you all right?"

Sol shot to her feet.

"We have to go! Azurill's in trouble!"

"Wait, what?"

"I just saw it! Drowzee is going to get Azurill all alone and corner him, and we have to go and stop it, before it's too late!" Sol yelled hysterically, drawing stares from nearby Pokémon.

"Sol, just take a moment and calm down. Now, tell me exactly what you saw."

Sol hurriedly relayed her… whatever it was to Eevee, impatient to get going. But as the story came out and she had time to actually think about it, she had to admit that it sounded crazy and ridiculous.

"Let's see if I understand this. You had a dizzy spell, and then you saw Azurill being threatened by Drowzee? But… Drowzee seemed to be a sincerely nice Pokémon. It's not like I don't trust you, but I saw the three of them go off together earlier, and they looked like they were having a good time."

"I know, but its just… never mind. You know what? Maybe I'm just crazy. The whole 'I used to be human' thing could just be a grand delusion on my part too."

"A lot has been going on lately. You're probably just tired, Sol."

"'You're probably just tired' is code for 'you're delusional but I'm giving you an exit'," Sol muttered. "Look, I think I just need something to focus on right now. How about we head back to Bidoof and we can talk about this and my degrading mental state later."

"You're not crazy, Sol. There has to be another explanation," Eevee said with such conviction and confidence that Sol almost believed it was true.

…

"You folks all set and ready for some exploring?" Bidoof asked Eevee and Sol when they returned to the guild. "Dugtrio just updated the boards, so you have a fresh bunch of lawbreakers to pick from."

The board was cluttered with overlapping papers. The footprint runes meant nothing to Sol, but her eyes flicked from picture to picture.

"Which should we pick?" Eevee asked, a bit of his earlier apprehension creeping back into his voice.

"Ahem. As your mentor, how about I do the choosing?" Bidoof said, clearly enjoying the responsibility of having rookies to show the ropes to. "Now, let's see… eenie, meenie…"

Sol tensed as her eyes landed on a paper bearing a familiar looking Pokémon. Eevee bristled beside her, finding the poster at the same moment. He stepped forward and pulled it off the board, much to Bidoof's surprise.

"It's Drowzee!" Eevee exclaimed. "You were right, Sol! He's a wanted criminal! We have to hurry. Azurill will be in trouble!"

They ran from the guild, leaving a confused Bidoof to call after them.

…

They found Marill at the crossroads looking distraught and scared.

"Marill! What happened! Where's Azurill?" Sol asked.

"I don't know!" Marill cried, tears streaking down his face. "After we all left, we went looking for our lost item together… But I wound up all alone when Mr. Drowzee went somewhere with Azurill! I called and called! But they didn't come back… I got scared…"

"Which way did they go?!" Eevee asked with a fierce determination. He was all fear earlier at the prospect of facing an outlaw, but now, when someone was in danger, he was more than willing to step up to the plate.

"Th-that way!"

Marill led them down the path to the east. Sol could see that he was close to a breakdown with worry for his brother, but he was able to push it aside and help in any way he could. The Kecleons were right: they were remarkable children to be able to push past hardship.

The ground turned rocky and the path grew steep as they reached the base of a small mountain.

"This is Mt. Bristle. We were searching around here when…" Marill trembled slightly and fresh tears threatened to fall.

"It'll be ok. We'll find him," Eevee consoled the small Pokémon. "Head back to Treasure Town and wait at the guild. We'll be back soon with Azurill."

Marill nodded and started back down the path, casting worried glances back at the mountain.

"Sol, the Drowzee and Azurill you saw in your… um…. dream, you said they were in a mountainous place, didn't you?"

"Yes, I think…"

Sol looked around for anything familiar.

"This way."

She ran up her chosen path, Eevee close behind her. They didn't have time for any mistakes. They could wander around this mountain all day and not find them, so she had to get it right the first time. The knowledge weighed heavily on her mind as she quickly picked out their route, not stopping for even a moment.

The path they were currently on wound up the side of the mountain. It narrowed considerably and they had to hug the wall to keep from falling over the edge. Were they going the right way, or was she leading them farther away from Azurill?

Sol was beginning to doubt herself when she heard a familiar voice from somewhere above her.

"Uh-oh. It's a dead end. Excuse me, Mr. Drowzee. Where is my lost item? Could you show me where it is now?"

The two exploration team members started to sprint.

"Sorry, kiddo. Your lost item? It's not here, that's for sure."

"Huh? My… big brother. My big brother's following us, right? He's coming soon?"

Sol stopped in her tracks, horrified. They had reached a dead end, their path blocked by a wall of stone. Sol had taken the wrong route! They needed to find a way up higher, but by the time they backtracked it'd be too late.

"Nope. Your big brother's not coming. I'll let you in on a little secret. This was all a trick. I deceived you. But let's not dwell on that. There's a little favour I need to ask."

"Give me a boast," Sol told Eevee. He instantly understood.

"See that hole behind you? Well there's a rumor that there's a trove of thief treasure inside there! But as you can see, I'm too big to squirm my way through that hole. And that's where you come in."

Claws dug into rock, finding small cracks and crevices to climb her way up. Sol growled softly and her fur bristled as she heard Azurill crying out for his brother.

"Go on, get going! Go into that hole and don't forget to bring back the treasure! If you keep being difficult, it will mean mean big trouble for you!"

Sol hauled herself onto the plateau just as Azurill started screaming for help. With a snarl she ran forward and launched herself off a boulder to soar through the air. Drowzee saw her coming and managed to scramble back out of the way. She landed in a crouch between Drowzee and the frightened Azurill.

"Run," Sol growled over her shoulder to the little blue Pokémon, not taking her eyes off Drowzee.

"Who… who are you?" Drowzee asked, taking a step back.

Sol regarded him silently for a moment before bearing her teeth fiercely in a feral snarl and darted forward.

Drowzee clumsily blocked Sol's first attack, claws leaving deep furrows in his arm. Sol made a quick jab to his exposed stomach, causing him to double over before bringing up her knee to smash into his head.

Drowzee stumbled back and Sol pressed the attack. The Drowzee lifted his head to stare directly into Sol's eyes. She experienced a moment of intense vertigo, the world seemed to spin and the ground tilted beneath her feet. Hit with Drowzee's confusion attack, she wasn't able to continue her offensive and was unable to block Drowzee's incoming attacks.

Blow after blow she was forced to give ground, not given enough time to recover and defend before the next hit came.

Sol my have had the body of a Riolu, but she was not a true Pokémon. Moves didn't come easily to her, and when they did they weren't very strong or effective. With no other options available however, she was able, just for a moment, to use the move counter in a peak of desperation.

Drowzee's own attack backfired, not doing much damage but surprising him enough for Sol to jump forward, tackling him to the ground. He managed to kick her off and they both scrambled to their feet. Not wasting any time, Sol rushed forwards once again with a series of light punches, not much on their own but together enough to hurt her opponent. Drowzee lashed out to hit Sol in the chest, sending her back a few steps. Then he pressed his palms together as if to pray with a look of immense concentration on his face.

Sol's limbs suddenly felt heavy. Her eyelids drooped as her will to fight was eroded away and her thoughts became muddled and slow in coming.

She was supposed to be doing something, right? Something important… what was it again?

She fell to her knees. All she wanted to do was sleep. That wasn't so bad, was it? Whatever she was supposed to do could wait.

She fell on her side, eyes closing.

"Sol!" she heard someone yell.

_Was that… Eevee? Yes, that's right. We were doing… something. There was someone in danger, or something like that. I climbed up and he was to find another route. Why was that again?_

The lure of sleep was strong but Sol fought against it.

_We were… We were… Drowzee!_

Sol's eyes shot open in time to see Eevee charging Drowzee. Just before he reached the outlaw he skidded to a stop, throwing up a cloud of dirt and rocks in Drowzee's face.

The Pokémon cried out and tried to cover his eyes with his hands, momentarily blinded. Eevee tackled him to the ground, hitting him again and againin a relentless attack.

"WE ARE TEAM WANDERERS AND NO OUTLAW CAN ESCAPE US!" Eevee screamed in a dazed Drowzee's face.

Sol had never seen him so… enraged. In truth, it was kind of scrary.

_Note to self: never piss off cute little balls of fluff._

"Um, Eevee?"

"What?" he spat, his anger at Drowzee colouring his voice. Or maybe had was just annoyed at being interrupted.

"Don't you think he's had enough?"

Drowzee was covered in all ready forming bruises and one of his eyes was swollen shut. He was only semiconscious by that point, thoroughly beaten from Eevee's sudden and anger fueled onslaught.

"That was a little extreme," Sol remarked as she tied Drowzee's hands behind his back with a length of twine.

"Maybe," Eevee said, lost in thought and not paying full attention.

It was then that Sol realized that she wasn't the only one who had problems in this group. For outlaws to bring out such debilitating fear in Eevee and then such all-consuming rage, something bad must have happened in his past.

With that thought in Sol's mind, they led the defeated Drowzee down the mountain.

…

Officer Magnezone gave them the bounty for capturing Drowzee and Marill was overjoyed to have his little brother back safe and unharmed. Chatot was waiting for them when they got back to the guild, a lecture on following orders and how they should be expelled from the guild for running off like that all prepared and ready for them. Upon hearing what had happened he didn't even try to hide his shock. Not only had they rescued Azurill, they had taken down an outlaw in the process.

After another one against all contest everyone referred to as dinner, they all headed off to their rooms.

A storm had picked up, lashing against the guild with torrents of rain. Eevee lifted up the mat of woven leaves that covered the window against the deluge, watching the streaks of lightening beyond.

"It's really coming down tonight," he mused. "It's a good thing it didn't start earlier."

He continued to stare out into the night.

"That reminds me," he said, turning to Sol. "It was storming the night before we met, and then I found you out cold on the beach the next day. So do you remember anything, anything at all?"

Sol joined him at the window.

"… No, nothing right now. But there was something earlier, at the market when I picked up that staff. I would have mentioned it earlier, but with that whole mess with Drowzee…"

"So what did you remember?" Eevee asked, curious.

"I'm not entirely sure," she said, pushing away from the window. "I was in a field somewhere, holding a bladed staff. There were these… figures, I couldn't quite make out what they were, but we were about to fight. Not sure over what. And that was it."

"That's good, though. Every little bit will bring you closer to your past and figuring out what happened to you."

Eevee walked over to his bed and settled down.

"You know, I've been thinking about that dream you had earlier."

"Less like a dream and more like a vision," Sol said, going to her own bed. "But whatever it was, it freaked me right out. It just sort of whammed into me and I had no control over it at all."

"Still, it could be really useful. With all the bad Pokémon cropping up, seeing the future could be invaluable."

"About that… what did you mean when you said that time was getting messed up? How is that even possible?"

"No one seems to know why, but its causing many Pokémon to turn bad. They just can't handle it, so they lash out. Everyone believes that the Time Gears are somehow involved. They say Time Gears are hidden in secret places around the world, and serve a very important function. Each one protects time and keeps it flowing properly in its region."

Something niggled in the back of Sol's mind, but she couldn't quite pin it down.

"What would happen if a Time Gear was damaged, or stolen?"

"I don't really know, but my guess would be that the flow of time in that region would stop. Everyone knows not to disturb Time Gears. Even the most hardened criminals avoid messing with them."

All of this just raised more questions than it answered. Sol wanted to know more, but she got the impression that Eevee didn't know that much about the problems with time, and what he did know was mostly speculation. She'd ask around later and see if she could learn more.

"We best get to sleep, Sol. We'll be woken up early again tomorrow."

"That reminds me. I'll be right back."

Sol got up from her bed and left the room. She returned a few minutes later carrying a bucket of water, some rope and nails.

"Did you know that Chatot sleeps perched on the stairs out there?" She said as she began setting up her materials around the doorway, suspending the bucket over the door and making a makeshift tripwire near the floor. "It's kind of creepy, especially since he sleeps with his eyes open."

"What are you doing?" Eevee asked quizzically.

Sol flashed him a smile.

"Leaving a little surprise for our morning alarm."

The next day Sol awoke to the sound of splashing water and a surprised yelp. It was a welcome change and she got up with a smile.


	9. Sol and the Family Reunion

**Thanks for the reviews! Nice to know that my stories aren't being completely ignored. Just so you know, this chapter jumps around a bit, and I am well aware that the café isn't open yet at this point in the game. I just didn't care.**

One might have thought that dumping a bucket of water over someone's head was a surefire way to make an enemy, but instead it sparked a friendly rivalry between Sol and Loudred. They would try to outmatch each other in trivial competitions, or try to out do each other in pranks, but by the end of the day they would be laughing about it with no hard feelings.

After two weeks at the guild, Sol and Eevee got to know most of the other apprentices fairly well in between training (if throwing them out to do jobs with no real instruction could be considered training). Eevee and Bidoof hit it off right from the start with Corpinish joining in soon after. Sol found she rather liked the quiet and thoughtful Chimecho, and the overly dramatic Sunflora was all right in small doses. Chatot was still a jerk, but Sol could deal with that.

The there were the people in Treasure Town, though Sol hadn't found the time to get to know many of them personally. After getting Azurill back safely, the brothers regarded team Wanderers with a sort of idol worship, which Sol was far from comfortable with. The Kecleons were also overjoyed with Azurill's rescue, being quite fond of the two. They even offered Sol with the cherry wood staff she had admired earlier as a reward, which was gratefully accepted. Sol had then bought a pack, plain dark brown and slightly worn but serviceable, and strapped her staff to it so it rested against her back in easy reach.

"I've just got to drop off some stuff at Kangaskhan Storage before we head out on that job," Eevee told Sol as they walked through the town.

"Kangaskhan… that's the big brown Pokémon who calls everyone dear and hugs me whenever she sees me?"

"Yes."

"I'm just going to wait over here while you go do that."

Eevee went off on his way and Sol looked around. She still wasn't all that familiar with Treasure Town and only knew a few people. Kanga khan ("just call me granny", she had told Sol upon their first meeting) tended to off on random topics frequently, so Eevee would probably be awhile. Sol decided to take a look around in the meantime.

Treasure Town was filled with bright colours, every house unique and vibrantly decorated. The people were open and friendly, even to complete strangers, each giving Sol a greeting as she walked past. The danger of outlaws and the problems with time (something Sol still didn't understand) didn't seem to have touched this place yet in the slightest.

"Excuse me."

Sol turned around to see a pinkish, dog like Pokémon.

"I'm Espeon. I just arrived here and don't really know my way around yet. Could you tell me where the Duskull Bank is?"

"You sure know how to pick your helpers," Sol laughed. "I'm new here too, but I know where the bank is. I could show you if you like."

"Oh, that would be wonderful! I've just been wandering about all day, completely lost! I'm from Pokémon Square really, really far to the east. Not a very creative name if you ask me, but what can you expect from Pokémon who name just about everyone after their species? Anyway, Persian, from the bank back in my town, said he could transfer some of my funds to the bank here, so…"

Espeon went on with a constant stream of chatter as Sol led her through the town. Sol usually would have found something like that annoying, but with her it was somehow endearing.

They soon arrived at the bank, a place Sol herself never used, mostly because Duskull really creeped her out. She wasn't sure if it was because of his dark and somber appearance, the way he spoke, or how he would get a possessive gleam in his red eye when he counted out deposited money. Or maybe it was because ghost Pokémon in general made her weary. Espeon showed no such discomfort and diverted her chatter to Duskull.

"There you are, Sol! I'm all finished and-" Eevee said as he approached hid partner but stopped short when he caught sight of Espeon, his expression frozen in place.

"Sparks!" Espeon squealed and ran over to envelope Eevee in a hug, though he remained stiff and unresponsive. "When I heard that my little cousin had joined a rescue- I mean, exploration team as they're called over here, I just had to come and congratulate you myself. No Peliper with a letter would do for something as big as this. Is it true you took down an outlaw already? And you're Sol? Of course you are, how silly of me. But what a coincidence that is!"

Espeon ran back over and it was Sol's turn for a hug. She couldn't quite follow Espeon's rapid fire comments and was a bit confused, unsure how exactly she was supposed to react.

"Thank you so much for helping Sparks out! This had been a dream of his since before I can remember, but he's never had the confidence to go through with it."

"Sparks?" Sol asked dumbly.

"Oh, that was Eevee's nickname when we were younger. Never could get him to sit still, always bursting with energy!"

Espeon ruffled the fur on Eevee's head affectionately, but he just looked annoyed and smoothed it back down.

"You know what would be great? I heard of this adorable little café just outside of town. We should go check it out and catch up!"

"I don't know if we can," Eevee said. "We have all these jobs we need to do, right Sol?"

"It's true, we do have some jobs down at Drenched Bluff…"

"See? No can do. Maybe another-"

"… But I'm willing to put them off to get to know my partner's cousin!"

"Perfect!" Espeon declared, her expression brightening. "This is going to be _so_ much fun! You have to tell me everything that's happened since we last saw each other."

"I see embarrassing childhood stories in your future, Sparks," Sol whispered to Eevee as they followed Espeon to the outskirts of town.

"You're evil," he replied sourly.

…

"- and then we finally found him, soaking wet and treed by an angry Paris!"

Sol burst into laughter, her mirth only fueled by the angry glare on Eevee shot at his cousin. Spinda's Café was a popular place, only a few tables left vacant. It was brightly lit and cozy, without the claustrophobic feel one would expect from a place built below ground. Spinda himself was a bit odd, going on about hopes and dreams, but he knew his way around a juice bar.

"And that's another glass gone," Espeon said. "Hold on, I'll be right back.

She left and Eevee gave Sol an annoyed look.

"Why are you putting me through this?"

"Because its hilarious. And its not nearly as bad as you're making it out to be. I like your cousin. She's a lot of fun."

"I'd be fine with her being around if she'd stop dredging up embarrassing memories I'd much rather forget."

"Hold on to them. You'd miss them if they were gone."

Eevee's face turned stricken. "I'm sorry, Sol. I didn't mean-"

"I'm just messing with you. It's all right."

That was only partially true. Sitting there, watching Eevee and Espeon, Sol felt an aching longing for all that she had lost. Has she ever done anything embarrassing when she was younger? What about her family? Was there anyone out there, any parents, siblings, family or friends, looking and wondering where she was? Usually Sol was able to distance herself from such thoughts, knowing that they would bring only misery and pain, but she couldn't help but feel a stab of envy looking at Eevee, looking at everyone around her who knew exactly who they were. She tried to squash that feeling, but it was persistent and never left completely.

Espeon returned, carrying a tall glass of a frothy purple liquid.

"So, Espeon, will you be staying in Treasure Town long?" Sol asked.

"For a little while, at least, though I'm not quite sure for just how long. First I'd like to hang out with my cousin a bit, maybe take in some sights. Oh, and that reminds me, you said you were new here too? Where are you from?"

"She doesn't remem-"

Sol kicked Eevee's chair from under the table and gave him a pointed look.

"Really, really far from here, to the south. You've probably never even heard of it," Sol lied.

"That must have been quite the journey. Why did you leave?"

"I can't really explain it. Just wanted to find out who I really am, and what better way than traveling around?"

Sol inwardly winced at her own clichéd back story. It was sort of a rushed job. At any rate, Espeon was lapping it up.

"That sounds so exciting! All by yourself on the road, just going wherever the wind takes you. I would never be able to do anything like that. I'm somewhat high maintenance, too used to the comforts of home. This trip here will probably be the closest I come to a real adventure."

Eevee gave Sol a questioning look. She didn't think it would be a good idea to make what she was common knowledge. Sol had no clue as to how people would react. A human-turned-Pokémon with no memory and the ability to see the future? Best to keep that to themselves for now.

Espeon continued to talk and Sol settled back in in her chair. She was glad they had taken the time to do this. It was good to have a moment to relax after spending so much time in Mystery Dungeons. It would be back to work tomorrow so she'd best enjoy the peace while it lasted.

…

Chatot was furious with them for not completing any jobs. Apparently he had never heard of the concept of a day off. So as punishment they were assigned with sentry duty for the next day. That hadn't sounded so bad to Sol until she found out that they'd be spending the entire day stuffed in a cramped, dark hole.

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Sol protested. "Why can't we stand inside the gate and get a clear view of who's coming? And I don't know how to identify footprints! That sounds like something you need to be trained for. Also, isn't this whole system a little racist, basing entry entirely on Pokémon species?"

"Shut your YAP! NO MORE BELLYACHING! GO DO YOUR DUTY!" Loudred shouted in that far too loud voice of his.

"Whoa, simmer down. We're going, we're going…"

It was a tight fit down in the tunnel, having been made with the small form of Diglett in mind. There was barely enough room for both Eevee and Sol, and as it was they were squished together and any movement would jostle the other.

Sol couldn't understand the feet obsession it seemed all Pokémon shared. Eevee handled the identification, because Sol didn't have a clue when it came to footprints. Even footprint runes, the main form of writing that Pokémon used, was well out of Sol's grasp, despite Eevee's attempts to teach her. She could recognize a handful of words, mostly the names of places, but that was just about it.

Another Pokémon stood on the grate above, a Meowth according to Eevee (though could've sworn the foot looked exactly the same as the Linoone's that was here earlier). He was allowed in (as had every single Pokémon before him, raising the question of why sentries were needed), but kicked down a small pebble as he passed that landed on Sol's head. As had the staff, it triggered a sudden flashback.

_A sound thunder filled the tunnel as the ground shook and rumbled beneath her feet. A smudge of colour amongst the uniform grey surroundings stood nearby, a vague green shape blurred and distorted beyond recognition._

_ "Move, move, move!" the shape yelled as dust and small rocks shook free of the ceiling. For a moment Sol recognized the voice, but that was soon lost along with all sense of what the voice had even sounded like._

_ "No, I thought I'd just stop here and have a picnic!" Sol shot back as they ran._

_ The rumbling became louder as the tunnel began to collapse all around them. They weren't going to make it. Despair with a large dose of frustration threatened to consume her until she caught sight of a small, pink shape up ahead._

Sol blinked and found herself back in the present. In the dark of the hole, Eevee hadn't noticed anything, leaving Sol to mull it over by herself until the day was done and they emerged stiff and sore.

…

Freakin' tourists. They hire teams for 'the exploration experience' (it wasn't as if the teams had any important work to do, like saving lost or trapped people, for example), then complain that "the path is too steep", "my feet hurt", or "that wild Pokémon is attacking me". Self important, rich brats with too much time on their hands, the lot of them.

Usually Sol never took this sort of job, but they were getting low on cash. Finding lost items never paid much, rescue jobs were few and far between (at least in the low level, relatively safe dungeons they were permitted to work in), and they weren't experienced enough to take bounties with much confidence for success (and Eevee was still terrified at the prospect). So they were stuck playing tour guide for a pompous Glameow.

"Are we there yet?" she whined, not for the first time. "We've been walking _forever_."

Sol gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to push her off the side of Mt. Bristle.

"We've only been here for half an hour," Eevee said cheerfully, not bothered in the slightest by the persistent drone of complaints. "We can stop for a rest though, if you like."

"It feels like we've been walking for _hours_. Nevertheless, I shall persevere," Glameow said as if she was making a huge sacrifice and deserved a medal.

Once again, Sol fought down the urge to kill her client.

Five minutes passed.

"Are we there _yet_?"

Glameow would never realize just how lucky she was when the group of Spinirak dropped down onto the path. As it was, she let out an unearthly shriek and swooned, though she recovered quickly enough when she realized no one was going to catch her.

Sol ran forward, her staff in her hands in an instant. She brought it down with a crack on the first Spinirak, which crumpled to the ground. There was a flicker in her peripheral and she brought her weapon around vertically to block a string shot attack. Sticky web wrapped itself around the shaft and Sol spun around in a sweeping strike to hit the Pokémon's many legs and knock it off its feet.

Sol must have been trained in staff fighting before. Even without the flashback it would have been obvious. She reacted instinctually without thinking, handling the weapon like a long time master without ever remembering any past instruction, which made up for her weakness in all things Riolu. Sol was extremely thankful she had at least been turned into a Pokémon with opposable thumbs.

When the Spinirak were defeated, either unconscious or fled, Glameow emerged from her spot cowering against the wall. She looked around cautiously before straightening up and recovering her arrogant air.

"How dreadful. Such violent brutes. Not a thought for subtlety or sophistication."

She kicked a fallen Spinirak before continuing down the path.

"Come now. There isn't time for stopping, so don't you complain. What am I paying you for? Let's get moving!"

Sol closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. This was going to be a _long_ day.

Freakin' tourists.

…

"Apart from a few hiccups, I do believe that went tolerably well," Glameow informed them back at the guild. "Though you really must learn to control your temper. I'll have you know my parents are very well connected and would not like to know how you spoke to me. You should consider yourself fortunate that I am so forgiving."

Sol's hand stretched out on reflex, her claws shot out. She forced herself to calm down and they retracted before anyone noticed.

"Now I suppose you're waiting for your reward. Here."

She handed a rolled-up scroll to Eevee, yellowed and cracked with age.

"We were expecting money for this," Sol protested. "Not some worthless scrap of paper."

"That is far from worthless! It's extremely valuable, and can lead you to a priceless treasure!"

"We are not about to fall for the magic beans claim. We want actual money, not a piece of junk."

"Well that's all your getting. Ta ta."

Glameow ran off out of the guild and Sol couldn't find the energy to chase after her. Putting up with annoying clients had left her feeling drained.

Sol sighed.

"So what is it anyway?"

Eevee unrolled the paper and looked it over with a quizzical eye.

"I think it's a map."


	10. Sol and the Odd Tangs

"Forget about it, Eevee. It's a wild goose chase."

"But it could lead to a place lost in time, filled with ancient treasure!"

"Or it could be a huge waste of time."

"Where's your sense of adventure? Your curiosity?"

"I lost it the day I went to investigate what was making that weird noise."

"Bidoof apologized for that."

"And I'm still scarred for life. Some things you just can't unsee, and Bidoof doing reversed downwards dog is one of them."

"The yoga helps with his- stop changing the subject!"

Eevee and Sol argued back and forth as they packed up their gear for the day's jobs in their room at the guild. Eevee was sure that the map they received from Glameow would lead to something exciting, but Sol was much more skeptical.

"Come on, Sol, _please?_"

She sighed.

"How about we check the boards out first for anything promising, then go if there isn't."

"What do you mean by 'promising'?"

"A rescue job. So no, I won't say a job finding a lost berry is reason enough not to check it out."

"That sounds fair."

Was it wrong of Sol to hope that someone fell down a hole in a dungeon and got stranded? Probably, but it hardly mattered when they bumped into Sunflora and Loudred on the way out of the crew rooms.

"What are you guys still doing here? I thought you were on a job to Mt. Travail."

"We were, but you totally won't believe this! It's just so eek!" Sunflora exclaimed.

From her tone and what Sol knew of her, either the world was about to blow up or someone was wearing black out of season.

"A Time Gear was stolen!"

Wrong on both accounts, it would seem.

"WHAT! Where?" Eevee asked, completely shocked.

"In Treeshroud Forest, to the northeast," Loudred said. "Time there has reportedly just… stopped. Officer Magnezone has already started an investigation, but Chatot wanted a team from the guild to check it out too. Naturally, he chose me," he added, looking at Sol.

"Eek! This is not the time for your petty rivalry! We need to get moving as soon as possible."

They left, and Eevee turned to Sol.

"This is bad, very bad. And all the Pokémon who live there, what has happened to them?"

"Why would anyone take a Time Gear?" Sol asked. "From what you've told me, you couldn't sell it for money, and taking one would make you an enemy of just about everyone. What's the motive behind the theft?"

"I don't know, but if they started to go after the others…"

A stricken look appeared on Eevee's face. This was disturbing news. But time stopping? How was that even possible, especially in just one region with time flowing normally in the areas around it? Or maybe not so normally. Wasn't this place suffering from problems with time already? Could that be connected to why someone would steal a Time Gear? Or was it possible that it hadn't been stolen at all, that it just broke up under the strain of all the recent problems? Sol didn't have a clue, and frankly, it made her head hurt to think about it.

Eevee was obviously taking the news pretty hard and looked physically sick. Sol would have to do something to take his mind off it.

"So we better head out if we want to have enough time to check out where that map leads."

"What? I thought you wanted to check the board first."

"Nah. This'll be more exciting. Besides, we're an exploration team. Let's go do some actual exploring."

…

"Well this here," Eevee said, pointing to a spot on the map, "is the symbol for waterfall, and this," he gestured in front of him, "is the only one in the area."

They stood on a natural stone bridge parallel to the river below and ran into the rumbling waterfall directly in front of them. The water pounded down heavily and with great force, sending up a mist that dampened Sol's fur from several metres away. It was a wonder how the stone had managed to withstand such a force of nature for so long without wearing away after years of constant battering.

"Now, according to the map, there should be an entrance to a cave somewhere around here. Hmm…" Eevee stepped closer to the waterfall. "Whoa! I didn't think it would be coming down this hard! Where should we start looking?"

"No idea," Sol said and approached the downpour. She reached out to touch the water, then yanked her hand back.

"That freakin' hurt!" she exclaimed, shaking the pain from her hand. "It felt like someone stomped on my fingers!"

"Well I did say the water is coming down hard…"

Sol's reply was cut off by a sudden dizzy spell.

"Are you Ok?"

Another wave of dizziness.

"It's another one of my… whatevers."

Another wave, then her vision turned black to be followed by the now familiar flash of light.

She saw a silhouette standing in front of the same waterfall she was currently at. It took a few steps back, then ran and jumped into the wall of water. There was a moment of darkness, but then the silhouette tumbled out through the other side into a hidden cave. The vision ended, and Eevee looked at her expectantly.

"Well? What did you see?"

Sol relayed her vision.

"A hidden cave behind the waterfall? But it looks like that water is crashing down really hard. Imagine if there was actually a solid cliff wall behind there! Yeesh… If we tried to jump through, we'd be pounded badly!"

"Whoa! Who said anything about jumping through?"

"But that's the only way into the cave, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"And your visions have been right before like that time with Azurill. I may not have believed it then, but I trust you completely now."

"I lied. I didn't really have a vision."

Eevee gave her a pointed look.

"Ok, fine! I'll do it! I would just like to go on record and say that this is a really bad, stupid idea. And have I ever mentioned I really hate water, and as far as I know can't swim?"

"We'll be fine."

They took their positions down the bridge. Eevee was muttering to himself, giving Sol the impression that he wasn't nearly as certain of the plan as he let on.

They sprinted forwards, building up speed. Sol had just enough time to have an 'I'm going to die' moment before leaping into the waterfall.

They tumbled out the other side, soaking, battered and bruised but otherwise unharmed.

"We made it through! There really is a cave behind the waterfall!" Eevee exclaimed.

"You sound rather surprised considering you were the one who got me to jump."

"Let's go see what we can find."

Inside the cave, the thundering rumble of the waterfall was a constant background noise, echoing through the rock passages and was accompanied by the sound of dripping water. The ground beneath their feet was wet and slick and they had to be careful to watch their step as they made their way deeper inside.

Something hit the back of Sol's head. She whipped around, but there was no one there.

"What the-"

"Hey! You! Ge' outta my cave!"

Sol looked up to see a Tangela on a stone ledge above them that ran along the length of the tunnel in either direction. His body was a mass of twisting, blue vines and pile of pebbles was near his feet.

"This 'ere is my cave, ya 'ear me! MINE!"

He kicked down pebbles to pelt Eevee and Sol.

"Calm down!" Eevee said. "We found this map, and we were just exploring-"

"Explorin', eh? Tha's wha' the pink 'un said, but I knew he was lyin'! Yer after my shinies!"

"Your… shinies?"

"Their MINE! Ya can't 'ave 'em! NEVER!"

He angrily kicked down more pebbles, showering the two with small stones.

"Would you stop _doing _that? We're not here to take anything!" Sol shouted.

"Yer lyin'! Everyone tries ta trick ol' Tangs bu' he's too smart fer 'em."

"When someone starts referring to themselves in the third person, that's when you back away slowly. Or, even better, run away quickly."

Eevee ignored Sol's whispered comment.

"Please! Just listen to us! We're telling the truth. If you don't want us to take anything, then we won't. We just wanted to look around."

"Lookin', eh? No stealin'?"

The Tangela looked them up and down.

"Maybe ol' Tangs will trust ya, if ya do somthin' fer 'im."

"What kind of something?"

"I keep my shinies in a special place, keep 'em nice n' safe. Bu' there's a certain shiny suck n' there I don't want. Makes the others jealous, ya see, and shinies don't sparkle as much when they're upset. It's too 'eavy fer ol' Tangs ta move, but you lot give 'er a go n' ya can look 'round the place."

"Where is this 'shiny'?"

"Down 'ere."

The Pokémon walked along the ledge above, not waiting for them to follow on the path below.

"Don't you find this even a little suspicious?" Sol whispered. "He was screaming and hollering at us to leave one moment, and the next he's asking us to take one of his precious 'shinies', whatever those are."

"This is supposed to be an adventure! We just can't turn around."

"I'm never said we should turn back, but I am saying we shouldn't follow the crazy guy with trust issues deeper into his lair."

"We'll be fine. He doesn't seem that bad. Just a bit odd."

"A bit odd- you know what, never mind. You win. But just so you know, if we get sacrificed in some cult ritual, I'm blaming you."

The tunnel soon opened up into a room not very wide but long enough that both ends disappeared from sight in the distance. Save for a strip of rock leading out if the tunnel and to the opposite wall, the floor was completely covered with large pools of water. Sol barely noticed all of this, for her eyes were immediately drawn to the sparkling gemstones protruding from the floor and walls, seeming to posses their own inner light.

"Tha' one o'er there, at the end," Tangs said from his ledge, which wrapped around from the tunnel and ended in a small platform high up the wall. "I wan' it gone! It's too big n' makes the others jealous. Take it away!"

The indicated gem was huge, as tall as Sol and she doubted she would be able to wrap her arms around it. It's surface was a bright, unblemished pink, and it must have been worth a fortune.

Sol shook her head.

"Why would you want this gone? And I doubt we'd even be able to move it."

"We can try. Imagine what the others would say if we managed to bring this back!"

Sol could easily imagine. Chatot would try to claim it as the guild's (and therefore partially his) property, Bidoof would gush and say that he'd never be a good enough explorer to find something like that, Sunflora would freak out with a lot of "totalies" and "eeks", Chimecho would congratulate them and be truly happy for them, and Loudred would make up some story about how it was pretty impressive but he had once found one twice the size but had to choose between it and saving some pretty damsel in distress.

Eevee ran up and grabbed a hold of it.. He vainly tried to pull it out of the wall in which it was embedded.

"It's really stuck tight! It just won't budge. You give it a try, Sol."

Sol went up and grabbed the sides of the gem, which were cool to the touch. She tried to pull, but it didn't even shift slightly.

"It's no good. That's not going anywhere."

"Here. Let me try again."

Sol stepped back and let Eevee have another go. As he began tugging on the gem, the world seemed to spin as Sol experienced another wave of dizziness.

_Another one? If this one's about how the only way to get the gem out is to jump off a cliff, I'm leaving._

The second wave hit.

_ This better not show me two idiots lured to their deaths by a crazy Tangela._

The third wave hit, and Sol's vision turned black once again. When the flash of light faded, she saw the same silhouette from earlier. It stood in the room with the large gem, walked over to it and pushed it into the wall with a click. The room rumbled and the silhouette looked around to find the source of the disturbance. A wave of water rushed through the room, sweeping the silhouette away.

The scene faded, just in time for Sol to hear Eevee say:

"Maybe if I tried jiggling it around a bit…"

"NO!" Sol yelled and jumped forwards, but was not quick enough.

The sound of the click seemed to fill the room. The floor and walls began to rumble, and Tangs cackled up on his ledge.

"I told ya ta ge' outta my cave, but ya wouldn't listen.. This'll teach ya!"

"RUN!" Sol yelled.

Just a few feet short of the tunnel, the wave hit. Sol was picked up and swept away with the water, flipped and twisted around in the sudden dark. She screamed, the air in her lungs escaping into the water. Memories pushed their way into her mind, confused and disjointed, making it difficult to separate the past from the present and added to her terror.

_She was falling, down, down, down into darkness. She landed with a large splash-_

Sol's head broke through the surface and she took a deep breath of air.

"Eevee!" Sol screamed.

_"Lyl!" Sol screamed._

_ The river dragged her away, clawing and struggling to stay above the surface-_

"I'm here!" Eevee called. "What's happening!? I can't see a thing!"

Sol crashed into something solid and cried out in pain. She was momentarily pinned between it and the crushing force of the water before she was spun around and swept away once again, going back under for a second.

_She struggled to clumsily paddle her way to the shore as a cluster of small, blue creatures with webbed fingers and finlike ears watched her pathetic attempt at swimming. Panic threatened to consume her, her fear increasing drastically when she felt something brush against her leg-_

The water pulled them upwards suddenly, shooting them into empty air under a clear, blue sky and illuminated by a blazing sun.

For an instant, Sol was suspended, unmoving, before gravity reasserted itself and dragged her back down. Her scream was abruptly cut off when she hit warm, almost hot, water.

She shouted and flailed, somehow finding the surface and scrambling her way to the edge of the pool and hauled herself out. She sat there, dripping water and trembling, knees pulled tightly into her chest.

"Sol?"

She turned her head and saw Eevee, his fur sodden.

"Are you Ok?"

"Just… give me a minute."

She turned back to stare straight ahead and hugged her knees a little tighter.

"Uh, hi! Are you two Ok? You plopped down from nowhere and startled everyone."

Sol didn't turn towards the voice. Eevee answered for her.

"I think so. Where are we?"

"This is the Hot Spring."

"H-Hot Spring?!"

"Indeed!" said a second, much older voice. "The Hot Spring works wonders on tired muscles and creaky joints. Many Pokémon visit here. Tell me, do you have a map?"

"We did, but the water kind of ruined it."

"No matter. I think I have one somewhere around here…"

The water had carried them a long way. Torkoal, an old, turtle-like Pokémon, showed them where they were on the map and how to get back to the town. They declined the offer to rest in the Hot Spring (they had both had enough of water) and made their way back to the guild.

Eevee went to explain what had happened and what they had found to Chatot, while Sol thought more on her visions, specifically about the silhouette she had seen in them. Tangs had also mentioned something about a pink one…

On a hunch, Sol went to the Guildmaster's quarters.

"Excuse me, Wigglytuff."

"Hiya!" the not-quite-all-there Pokémon said. "Whatcha doing? Have you had any fun explorations yet?"

"Um, sure. I just wanted to ask you a question."

"Ooh, questions! I do love questions! They are so much more interesting than answers!"

"… Right… I was just wondering if you knew anything about a cave behind a waterfall…"

"A waterfall cave?" He mulled it over. "Oh yes! Memories! Sweet memories!"

Wigglytuff did a little dance around the room, making Sol question her decision to come in here in the first place.

"Yes! I think I found a cave behind a waterfall once! But then there was a meanie who threw stuff at me."

That confirmed it. Sol's vision had been of the past this time, not the future. As Wigglytuff rambled on about waves, gems and how they weren't as special as perfect apples, Sol backed out of the room. She had had her fill of crazy for the day.


	11. Sol and the Orange Paint

A lone figure slipped into the room. It looked around to see the sleeping forms of an Eevee and a Riolu, each on opposite sides of the room. The figure crept over to where the Riolu lay sprawled across her bed and went to place an object on her outstretched hand…

"Danger! Danger!" Sol screamed when she felt something touch her. Her hand shot out reflexively to punch a startled Loudred in the face.

Loudred cried out and fell back, throwing the shallow, tin plate he was holding into the air. It soared across the room to land upside down on Eevee's bed, dumping bright orange paint everywhere.

"What's going on!" Eevee yelled and jumped up, paint splattered across his back and side.

"Sol just broke my nose!"

"You don't have a nose!"

"It still HURTS!"

Sunflora charged into the room with Chimecho.

"Oh my gosh, we heard shouting! Like, what's going on? Eek! Why are you orange?!"

"I don't know!"

Bidoof huffed and puffed his way into the now crowded room followed by Corpinish.

"By golly, what's all the racket- why are you orange?"

"Everyone just calm down!"

"Why were you in our room?!"

"I _was_ trying to prank Sol."

"WHAT?!"

"You put paint or something on someone's hand while they're sleeping, then tickle their face. Come on, it's a classic! But then you went and punched me in the face!"

"Eek! You punched Loudred?"

"By instinct! And really, he deserved it!"

"Hey hey! You still haven't explained why you're orange."

"Hmm… it must be some defensive reflex you have, Sol."

"So in other words, if you want to keep all of your teeth, don't touch Sol while she sleeps."

"You shouldn't have been in here in the first place!"

"WHY ARE YOU ORANGE?!"

The situation disintegrated into an all out shouting match that continued out of the crew rooms into the main room, sucking every one they came across onto the fight. Some were on Sol's side, some on Loudred's, while most had no idea what was going on and were wondering why Eevee was orange. Old arguments and incidents were brought up, fueling the verbal battle, until everyone was yelling at someone for one reason or another.

Chatot walked into the room and saw the chaos.

"Ahem."

The sound was lost amidst the noise.

"All right everyone. Settle down."

He was completely ignored.

"POKÉMON! SHUT UP AND FORM UP!"

That caught the attention of the apprentices who quickly assembled into two neat lines for the morning addresses without another word.

"I have never seen such disgraceful behavior! I have half a mind to- why are you orange?"

Any response was interrupted when the Guildmaster's doors were thrown open and Wigglytuff skipped in.

"Hiya! Oooh, I had such a great idea last night and couldn't wait to tell you all! Let's go on an expedition! It'll be so much fun!"

There were excited murmurs from the apprentices.

"Oh my gosh! It's been, like, years since our last expedition! This is, like, so exciting!" Sunflora exclaimed.

"Yup yup! I've yet to go on an expedition. I would love to go on this one!" Bidoof agreed.

"Hold on!" Chatot said. "Guildmaster, expeditions take a lot of planning and hard work! You can't just decide to have one out of the blue!"

"Oh, Chatot! I've already planned it all out! Where we're going, the supplies we'll need, all the maps I could dig up. I was so excited last night that I couldn't sleep, so I wrote everything out!"

Wigglytuff whipped out a bundle of pappers and handed them over to Chatot.

"…These are… surprisingly well detailed…" Chatot said, flipping through them.

"Of course they are! I am the Guildmaster, after all! There's said to be a mysterious lake far to the east, and we're going to solve that mystery! YOOM TAH!"

Wigglytuff jumped into the air and danced around the room.

"This means you're going to be picking members for the expedition from all of us again, right?" Loudred asked.

"Precisely! We will depart in several days," Chatot said, now acting as if he had been a part of the decision from the start. "We will choose the most worthy of apprentices for the expedition. Under my- I mean, mine and Wigglytuff's leadership, I'm sure the expedition will be a huge success."

Sol could already tell Chatot was going to suck the fun out of everything. But this did sound exciting, even if she wasn't quite sure what one did on an expedition, other than travel.

"What do we actually do on an expedition?" Sol asked.

"On an expedition, we travel to a place far from the guild," Chimecho explained. "The journey itself can take several days, so it's a lot tougher than regular jobs. Then we do what exploration teams do best. Explore.

"Expeditions virtually always pay off, be it through the discovery of treasure or the renown of making a major discovery," Chatot said, of course jumping straight to the reward. "But unfortunately for you, we don't rookies on expeditions."

"What? But that's not fair! Eevee cried, his expression crushed.

"Those are the rules," Chatot chimed, looking far too pleased.

"Don't be a meanie," Wigglytuff said. "They've been working so hard! If they put forward their best effort, of course they can come! Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!"

Chatot looked annoyed but let the matter drop.

"All right everyone. It's back to work as usual."

The Pokémon broke off into groups and excitedly discussed the expedition.

"They'll be sure to pick me," Loudred proclaimed.

Boasting aside, Sol thought that was probably true. Other than Dugtrio, Loudred was the most senior apprentice and was well experienced with mystery dungeons.

"By golly, I wish I could be so confident," Bidoof said. "I'm not that good of an explorer yet, but I'll still try my best to get picked."

Based on skill alone, it was unlikely that Bidoof would be chosen. Of course, if someone were to decide that the expedition was just the sort of thing to turn him into a capable explorer, than his experience could actually work in his favour.

Sol ran through a mental list of who was most likely to go. Diglett had a good shot, mostly because Dugtrio was a major suckup and on Chatot's good side. He'd be pushing for his son to go, and Chatot responded well to all his flattery. Sol didn't hold that against Diglett, who was a decent sort, if a bit shy. It wasn't his fault his father was a douche.

Sunflora was talented, trusted with many tough jobs. Also as a grass type, she would be at an advantage against any hostile Pokémon sure to be found around the lake. Water type Corpinish would also be an asset, even if he was only a mediocre explorer.

Chimecho, though, wasn't all that experienced and didn't do much field work. She mostly managed things at the guild. She kept the logs, cooked, cleaned, handled supplies and the storerooms, kept communications with different guilds in other towns, managed the mail, all the little things that kept the Guild running smoothly. This didn't leave much time for venturing into dungeons. Of course, they would need someone to maintain equipment and map the area, things she was trained to do.

Croagunk, well, Sol didn't know much about him. He kept to himself and didn't socialize much, and to tell the truth, he creeped Sol out a little. According to the others, he was supposed to be some sort of genius ("he's like, crazy smart" Sunflora had said), and he was strong enough to muscle past any obstacle he couldn't think his was through.

Sol felt a growing sense of apprehension. There was a reason for everyone to go.

Except for Sol and Eevee.

They were the rookies, the newbies, yet to prove themselves or show any special skills the others didn't already have. No doubt Chatot would do his best to convince Wigglytuff to have them stay behind, and Sol was unsure just how many of the decisions made at the guild were actually the guild master's.

"Come on, Eevee," Sol said. "Let's go check out the boards before all the good jobs are taken."

They went up the stairs and Eevee went to the job bulletin board while Sol went to check out the wanted posters. They would have to really work to have a shot at getting chosen, though Sol didn't have much hope for herself. Chatot would no doubt be campaigning against her, though there was a chance, however slim, that his hatred wouldn't extend to Eevee. Sol would do her best to ensure at least her partner would get to go.

Sol looked the board over. She was making very little headway with footprint runes, despite Eevee's best efforts, but wanted partners were pretty self explanatory.

That one had a picture of a Lotad, usually not very tough… Sol picked out the runes that stood for Drenched Bluff, so no, they would not be going after a water Pokémon in place filled with water. But here was one for a Bellsprout in… Mt. Bristle. That was much better. Grass moves weren't as powerful in high, rocky areas.

"That's why I'm training at the guild, to overcome my own shortcomings! Even now, I'm working hard to get picked for the guild's expedition!" Eevee shouted.

Sol looked over to see Eevee being confronted by two familiar looking Pokémon. What were Koffing and Zubat doing here, and, more importantly, what were they doing with Eevee? Sol rushed over with bared teeth.

"What are you lot doing here?" she demanded.

"Heh-heh-heh," Zubat laughed. "What's wrong with an exploration ream checking out the job bulletin board?"

"Since when did exploration teams go around mugging people?" she snarled.

"The way we operate is not always… by the book, but we still make a better team than a couple of wimps like you," Koffing said.

"Heh-heh. Take that expedition of yours for instance. Effort will only take you so far. You won't get picked if you don't have talent, right? That's what it all comes down to, and team Skull beats you in that easily."

"Big talk!" Eevee said. "What kind of skills do you have? You're so weak you even lost to us!"

Valid point, but the 'even lost to us' part stung a little. Way to instill team confidence.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Well, we didn't have the Chief with us. Team Skull has three members, and the Chief is brutally tough. If he had been around, we'd have snapped you like twigs."

"Speaking of which, I smell him coming now!"

"Smell?" Eevee said quizzically.

A large, purple and white Skuntank came down the guild stairs and stopped in front of Sol.

"You! Move! Out of the way!"

He sprayed a purple cloud of foul smelling gas at Sol. She stumbled back coughing with burning eyes.

Imagine the worst smell you have ever encountered, then add a healthy dose of moldy cheese, wet dog, rotting meat and a sewer pipe, then multiply that by about fifty and you'll get a rough idea of what Sol experienced. To her sensitive Riolu nose, the stench was like a physical force slamming into her. By the time she came back to her senses, team Skull had already left.

"Are you Ok, Sol?" Eevee asked with concern.

"This happens entirely too often. Do you have any idea just how many times you have asked me that same exact question? Just about once every day."

"You're exaggerating."

"Yeah, but the sad thing is, not by much."

Eevee smiled faintly, but it soon faded.

"They were right. I am a wimp. Even after what Skuntank did, I couldn't bring myself to stand up to them. I let you down."

"Since when was not getting sprayed by an over sized skunk letting someone down? Speaking of which, this has got to be the grossest moment of my life. Excuse me while I go set my fur on fire."

"You'll have to settle for a good scrub, I'm afraid. I need to wash off this paint as well."

"But it's a great look for you! Orange is so your colour!"

"Very funny."

…

Four jobs, all at once, in the same dungeon. One renegade Bellsprout, one lost TM, one lost keepsake, and one lost explorer in need of an escape orb. Nothing glamorous, but it was enough to at least draw a little attention. They were a long way off from being surefire members of the expedition party, but it was a step in the right direction.

It was late by the time Sol and Eevee returned to the guild and they were the last to arrive.

"Oh my gosh! Did you hear the news?" Sunflora asked when they climbed down to the bottom floor of the guild.

"Sunflora, if this is another piece of gossip about someone's love life…"

"You, like, made it abundantly clear the, like, first time that you, like, don't care. No, its nothing like that. A new team just showed up, and they'll be, like, joining the expedition!"

"What?!"

"Yeah! They, like, showed up out of nowhere, and now they're, like, coming along to help. Do you think this means that they'll be taking less guild members? Because that is, like, totally unfair!"

"Where is this new team?"

"Over there. I think they're called team Skull."

Sol stiffened at the name, and sure enough she spotted Koffing, Zubat and Skuntank hanging out by themselves on one side of the room.

"They're totally mean!" Sunflora continued. "They started picking on Bidoof, like, the second they got here! I thought Loudred was going to rip their heads off!"

"A pity he didn't," Sol muttered. "How did they manage to join the expedition? They're not even a part of the guild!"

"Well, they, like, disappeared into the Guildmaster's quarters, and when they came back out, it was like they and Wigglytuff were, like, the best of friends! And then they talked to Chatot, and now he's fawning all over them!"

This was bad. Very, very bad. Who knew what they were capable of. Sol got the impression that Koffing and Zubat weren't all that bright, but Skuntank was a complete unknown. This was not going to end well.

Chimecho came out and announced that dinner was ready. Skuntank practically shoved her out of the way on his way into the mess hall, and Sol felt a spark of anger. Since beating people to a bloody pulp was frowned upon at the guild, she had to push the feeling down.

One side of the table was crowded with Pokémon, all squished together as they tried to stay as far away as possible from the newcomers. This became a problem when Koffing and Zubat pushed all the good plates down to their end, leaving nothing but baskets of plain bread available for the others. Completely oblivious, Chatot and Wigglytuff continued on with their own meals.

"What are we supposed to do?" Bidoof whispered. "They have all the food, and I'm starving!"

He looked over at team Skull, but quickly stared back down at his empty plate when Skuntank gave him a glare.

"Hey hey! We can't just let them bully us around like this!" Corpinish said.

"I don't see you going over there!" Sunflora said.

They sat in silence for a several moments, each unwilling to stand up to team Skull.

"You know what, this is getting ridiculous," Sol finally said.

She pushed back her chair and stood up. Without a word she walked over to the other side of the table. She heard someone move behind her, and looked back to see Loudred following.

Sol stooped at the end of the table and stared at Skuntank. He stared back. There was a tense moment, and then Sol reached down and picked up two of the plates. Zubat started to say something, but was silenced by a look from Skuntank.

"Not such a wimp after all," he said with a smile.

Sol returned to her seat and placed the plates down, and Loudred returned seconds after with two plates of his own. The food was passed around, no fighting or competition this time.

Sol picked at her own food, suddenly devoid of appetite. She did her best to avoid the calculating look on Skuntank's face and the cold feeling it gave her.

**I'm thinking of adding another member to team Wanderers. Leaning towards a Charmander. Thoughts? Suggestions?**


	12. Sol and the Loyalty Test

"They're planning something, but the question is what," Sol said and paced the room. "The obvious answer would be that they're planning to steal anything found during the expedition. Chatot and Wigglytuff are completely oblivious to what they've invited along, so we can't expect much help there. No use to try explaining it to them either. They won't believe us. We'll have to-"

"Sol, you've been repeating the exact same thing over and over again for the last hour," Eevee said from his pace on his bed.

"I'm not exactly comfortable having a pack of vipers sleeping just down the hall."

"Worrying isn't going to change that."

"Maybe, but it'll keep my guard up against any backstabbing."

"I'm… not sure whether you're being serious or not."

"Neither am I."

Sol sighed and fell back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I _hate_ not being able to do anything."

"They'll slip up eventually and show their true colours. Get some sleep, Sol."

Eevee blew out the flickering lantern, plunging the room into darkness. Sol continued to stare up at the ceiling, her eyes soon adjusting to the scant moonlight shining in through the window.

Eventually her eyes slid shut, though her mind was still plagued with thoughts of schemes and traps springing shut.

…

It was in Sol's firm opinion that dreams are nature's way of screwing with your mind. You get dropped in some pseudo reality, where you're either tortured by inner demons, or spend the night in a place where people walk on water and stairs stretch on forever.

Or, if you're extremely unlucky, you'll end up in the middle of a symbolic labyrinth, tearing your hair out at your subconscious' inability to speak plainly.

And so it was that Sol found herself surrounded by a deep, grey fog. She couldn't see more than a few feet ahead in any direction, and it would be easy to lose one's way amid these uniform surroundings.

Sol started walking at random, and as it always was in dreams, didn't question what was happening. There wasn't a sound to be heard amongst the grey, not even the noise of her feet hitting the ground. It leant an eerie feeling to the place, as if it were not meant for any living being to witness.

Sol stopped. A door stood in her path, made of dark, imposing metal, connected to nothing. She looked around the edges to the other side. Nothing.

Sol considered the door for several seconds, then reached for the handle. Locked. She felt a surge of annoyance. What was the point of having a door appear out of nowhere of you couldn't open it?

She shook the handle around in frustration, then rammed her shoulder against the door. It burst open easily, despite its strong appearance, spilling Sol onto a cold, cement floor. Muttering angrily, she pushed herself to her feet and looked around. She was in a dimly lit hallway, wide and leading on into the far distance. Along the sides were numerous cells cut off with thick, iron bars, all empty.

Sol spared a glance behind her and saw the door leading out into the fog still stood open. Despite her instincts screaming at her to run, she turned back and went deeper down the corridor.

Her eyes flicked from side to side. Each cell she passed was identical, lacking furnishings and occupants, locked up tight and impossible to open.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Noth- wait.

In a cell no different from the others, a plain cot with a rusty metal frame was placed in a corner. Curled up on it was a figure in black clothing and boots, facing the wall and away from Sol.

"Hello?"

No response.

"What? Am I not important enough for you?"

After a moment, the figure slowly turned its head to reveal the face of a young human woman with long, light brown hair. At least, Sol assumed she was human, but there was something… off about her, though Sol couldn't say what exactly. It was like the time she had seen a Ditto had transformed into Eevee, but she could still tell who was who. Her features just had a foreign, unfamiliar air to them that was unmistakeable, but at the same time no specific difference stood out.

Except for her eyes, which regarded Sol with a mixture of contempt and annoyance. It shocked Sol when she realized that they were the same as hers, with blue irises and pupils shaped like tapered ovals instead of circles.

Sol's mind scrambled for something to say, but her words turned into a cry as thick, black tendrils wrapped around her chest and yanked her away from the woman, watching impassively from her cell.

…

Sol awoke with a start, her heart beating wildly and her breath coming in ragged gasps. Eevee, still asleep in his bed, stirred at the noise, but then turned over, muttered something about pillowcases filled with cheese, then was still once more.

Sol got up as quietly as she could and padded over to the window. It was still dark, but it couldn't have been more than an hour before dawn. No point in trying to get back to sleep, and she doubted she'd be able to anyway.

She crept out of the room with a sudden feeling of confinement. She needed to get out, at least for a little while.

Down the darkened corridor and into the deserted main room. The guild was such a quiet place at night. Chatot was perched on the edge of the stairs, eyes wide open as he slept, a silent sentinel in the dark. Sol carefully climbed the stairs to the top of the guild and into the night.

The air was fresh and cool, a welcome respite that served to alleviate her pent up stress. She walked down the path with no particular destination in mind. She soon found herself on the beach, the sound of waves lapping against the shore her only company.

Sol wandered over to a familiar shaped rock protruding from the sand and sat down next to it. This is where she had met Eevee for the first time, her earliest memory. So much had happened since then.

The sky began to grey as the dawn grew closer. Sol stayed there, alone on the beach, even as the sun began to peek over the trees behind her. It was probably time she head back to the guild. With a sigh she got to her feet and was surprised to see another Pokémon on the beach, earthy brown in colour with what appeared to be a skull on his head, jogging towards her.

"Nothing like a morning run to keep the body strong," he said as he approached Sol. "I'm Marowak. What brings you down here so early?"

"Just needed some fresh air. I'm Sol."

"Oh, you're a member of that exploration team that rescued Azurill! Team Wanderers if I'm not mistaken?"

Sol nodded.

"I own the dojo in town. I've dedicated it to the training of exploration teams!"

"Really? I didn't know there was a dojo. Is it new?"

"In a way. The dojo went to rack and ruin, then to a pile of rubble, but it has risen to it has risen from the dust to its former glory!"

Marowak puffed up in pride, but then deflated.

"But… I haven't had any visitors yet…"

"Why not? I would think a dojo would be much more popular. The guild doesn't do much actual physical training. They're much more in favour of trail by fire."

Marowak perked right up.

"I'm happy to hear you say that. Perhaps if a renown explorer was known to use my dojo…"

Sol smiled. "I'd hardly call myself 'renown', but I'd love to check the place out. I'd could use the extra training."

"That'd be great! Of course, the use of my facilities would be free of charge for you and your team."

"I'll come by the first chance I get. But right now, unfortunately, I'm going to be late for the guild's morning addresses."

"Of course. I hope to see you again soon."

Sol ran back to the guild, arriving just as the apprentices were forming up in their lines with team Skull a little off to the side.

"Where were you?" Eevee whispered as Sol took her place.

"I'll tell you later."

They went through the morning cheers as they did every day. Team Skull snickered amongst themselves and watched on with mocking smirks. As much as Skuntank and his lackeys disgusted Sol, she still had to agree. The cheers were ridiculous.

The group broke up to go about their jobs for the day and Chatot waved Sol and Eevee over.

"You two. I have a very important mission for you."

"Is that so?" Sol said, instantly suspicious. With the expedition so close, there was no way Chatot would be helping them out by giving them an important job that would attract notice.

"Yes. I have been taking stock of the guild's supplies, and there are a few things we will need to resupply before we head out on the expedition. I need you to collect perfect apples from Apple Woods."

"What?!" Sol exclaimed. "You expect us to go _forage for food!_"

"Hush! Through careful deliberation, I have decided you are most suited for the task. Perfect apples are the guildmaster's favourite food, and if we were to run out, he would, well… I prefer not to talk about that. This may seem like a simple errand, but it's a crucial job."

"Bullshit!" Sol said, her voice rising in volume and attracting the stares of those still in the room. "Why don't you just come out and say admit it? You don't want us going on the expedition, so you're giving us crap assignments to take up our time so we can't do anything noteworthy!"

Chatot's eyes narrowed. " Look here, you little upstart. I'm the guild's lieutenant, and I will not be allowing mere rookies who think a few weeks in training makes them experts talk to me like that. I am your superior and you will follow my orders. Believe what you will, but I do have the guild's best interests at heart. Now I've given you a job to do, so I suggest you go do it."

Sol's hands curled into fists, but she said no more to Chatot as he walked away.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped at the members of team Skull, watching with amusement from the edge of the room.

Sol stomped up the stairs with Eevee close behind.

"You need to calm down," Eevee said as they reached the top floor.

"I can't stand him! Every time I see that self-righteous jerk I have to resist the urge to boot him across the room!"

"Getting angry won't solve anything. Now, if we hurry, we might be able to get back in time to take some other jobs, as long as they aren't too far away."

Sol sighed. "All right, let's get a move on then."

"Good. We should make a quick stop in town first, though. You can expect a lot of bug Pokémon in Apple Woods, so it'd be a good idea to stock up on heal seeds and berries to counteract poison and paralysis attacks."

They hurried to the Kecleon Market and did some rushed shopping, not even sparing the time to haggle (Sol was getting good at that, but she was still miles behind the Kecleon brothers). Apple Woods was quite a distance away from Treasure Town, but it was a route often travelled and so signs clearly marked the way.

True to its name, Apple Woods was filled with apple trees. The vibrant colours and warm breeze was a welcome change from the caves they usually found themselves in, but they didn't have the time to admire the scenery. Why Wigglytuff couldn't settle for regular apples was beyond Sol, though so was a lot of the things he did.

The woods were brimming with bug Pokémon, just as Eevee had predicted. For the most part, however, they kept to themselves in the shadows, watching with compound eyes but not attacking as long as the group didn't venture too close to them or their nests. Other than a couple of particularly hostile Butterfree (Sol had found it difficult to fight while laughing at the ridiculousness of being mobbed by a horde of butterflies), the trip was rather peaceful.

Then, of course, they reached their destination and it all went to Hell.

"Chaw-haw-haw! It's about time you two got here. We've been having ourselves a proper feast while we waited."

Skuntank dropped down from the perfect apple tree, flanked by Koffing and Zubat.

"They've been eating all the apples!" Eevee exclaimed. "But there's still some left on the tree. Let's just knock them out and get back to the guild."

Sol was rather proud of Eevee right then. Not long ago he would have turned into a hysterical wreck when faced with this lot, not suggesting they attack.

"Whoa-ho-ho. No need to be hasty."

"Heh-heh-heh. We just want to talk."

"What about?" Eevee asked cautiously.

"Not with you," Skuntank said. "We don't deal with wimps. We squash 'em. No, we want a word with your partner there."

"What do you want?" Sol demanded.

"Team Skull is always looking to expand, and I think you have potential. You're the only one at that guild who has any backbone, and from what I hear, you're not half bad in a fight."

"You're asking me to join your team?!"

"But of course. You'll get a much bigger cut than the scraps the guild hands you and you won't have to take orders from fools like Wigglytuff and Chatot, just me. I heard what you said earlier. You don't belong at the guild, you never will. You would fit in perfectly with us, however."

"I'm nothing like you! I don't go around picking on people!"

"You're no goody-two shoes either. I can see your true colours, even if you deny them yourself. Come on, I can see you're thinking about it."

"Don't do it, Sol!" Eevee pleaded. "You're better than them!"

Skuntank turned to look at him with annoyed eyes.

"Before you can join, however, you'll have to prove your loyalty by giving the wimp a beat down. Of course, if you refuse, you'll be sharing his fate."


	13. Eevee and the Pain Killers

**Somewhat of a short chapter this time. I tried something different, so it'd be great to get some feedback. Just so you know, I've run into some computer trouble so chapters might be a little slow in coming for a while. -Nemesis1807**

"You've got to be #$!%&* kidding me!" Sol snarled. "You #$!%&* expect me to #$!%&* attack my #$!%&* partner and #$!%&* join you #$!%&* lot?!"

Eevee had never seen Sol so mad. It was like she had taken Team Skull's offer as a personal insult and was set to tear them limb from limb. Eevee was both elated at Sol's loyalty and appalled by what was coming out of her mouth. He had to mentally filter out the bad language (hence the " #$!%&*").

Skuntank's eyes narrowed at Sol's outburst.

"Guess I was wrong about you. Very well, Koffing and I will just use our noxious gas combo on both of you!"

Skuntank and Koffing stepped forwards and Eevee became extremely nervous. They were going to try something, but Eevee didn't know what. He had to fight down the urge to run, to flee from these bad Pokémon. But he would not abandon his partner to face them alone, not again like back at the guild.

Eevee braced himself for whatever they were about to throw at him, but he was unsure what exactly he should be preparing for. Beside him he could see Sol fiddle with something in the side pocket of her bag, then place something in her mouth.

And then Skuntank's and Koffing's attack came in the form of a thick, noxious cloud that sped towards them. Eevee had just enough time to register that when the world suddenly exploded in a fiery ball of light.

Eevee was lifted off his feet and thrown back by the blast. He landed heavily on the ground and skidded back several feet, dazed and with ears ringing. Feeling bruised and battered but otherwise unhurt, Eevee slowly got back to his feet.

The grass at the site if the explosion was scorched and blackened. It was fortunate that in old forests such as this one the trees were so far apart, otherwise it could have caused a rampant forest fire.

Skuntank and Koffing, having been the closer to the blast, had been thrown back farther and with much greater force and were now unconscious at the foot of the perfect apple tree. Zubat was nowhere to be seen, no doubt having fled and abandoned his team mates when things didn't go as planned. Eevee frantically looked around for his partner.

"Sol!" he cried when he caught sight of her blue and black form crumpled at the base of a tree some distance away.

Eevee rushed over, went to shake her shoulder but though better of it (no sense in repeating the orange paint incident) and settled for yelling at her.

"Sol! Wake up! Are you all right?"

Sol's eyes fluttered open. She tried to sit up, the gasped in pain and grabbed her left arm.

"What's wrong?"

"The blast sent me flying into a tree. I think I might've dislocated my shoulder." She shook her head and chuckled darkly. "I guess chomping down on that blast seed wasn't the smartest of ideas."

"You what?"

"I had a pretty good idea of what they were planning and I _did not_ want a repeat of what happened back at the guild. I thought a blast seed would neutralize their attack before it reached us, but admittedly, I did not think that through very well."

"Can you get up?"

"I should. It's only my shoulder that's hurt, not my legs."

Sol managed to push herself to her feet using her good arm.

"We better get those apples and head out before those two wake up," she said.

With a little help from Sol, Eevee managed to get up the tree and knock some perfect apples down. They gathered up as many as they could and headed back to the guild.

Something Eevee had noticed about Sol was that she liked to complain. When something bugged her, be it Chatot or, as Sol put it, "freakin' tourists", she'd make some sort of snide remark or go off on a rant if it really irked her. Eevee was used to that and knew it was just Sol's way of venting pent up frustration. But when she got quiet and bottled everything up, that was the time to worry.

On the way back, Eevee expected some sort of quib about her injury, a joke about Team Skull, a comment about having to lug back all those apples, but nothing came. That was the tipoff that something was wrong, that something Skuntank had said had gotten to her.

They got back to the guild and dropped off the apples with Chatot.

"That's _all_?" he squawked. "We're going to need much more than this!"

"If you don't like, maybe you should've sent more than two people," Sol growled. "We can only carry so much. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find someone to stick my shoulder back in its socket."

Sol marched off, not even giving Chatot a backwards glance. Eevee shot him an apologetic smile and followed. Eevee didn't understand Sol's extreme dislike of Chatot. Sure, he could be harsh at times and could be a little greedy, but he did his job well and knew what he was doing. Otherwise, he never would have been made the guild's second in command. Sol could be extremely headstrong at times, and when she had an opinion on something or someone it was near impossible to change. They had gotten off on the wrong foot and Sol wasn't able to get past that. With all the comments she made and the thinly veiled insults, it was no wonder Chatot didn't like her much. Perhaps if Sol gave him another chance, got past the little slights, things would be better between them. Well, that was Eevee's opinion, at any rate.

Chimecho was able to fix Sol's shoulder, but not without Sol cursing and demanding to see a medical licence. Sol's arm was put in a sling and she was given some oran berries to speed up healing along with a sweet smelling draught to numb the pain. What Chimecho failed to mention was that it would also leave her completely out of it.

"Thisss bed is soooooooo soft!" Sol slurred back in their room.

She rolled around on her bed, seemingly in heaven, before rolling off the side and falling on the floor. Eevee tried to help her back up, but she seemed set on making it as difficult as possible, flailing around, trying to push him away and ranting about how she didn't need any help.

"Sol, just calm down and let me help you."

"No! I cun do it!"

After several more failed attempts to stand, she finally relented.

"Ok, you cun 'elp. Just don't tell the sparkly lights o'er there. They're _really_ jealous."

Finally, after much effort, Sol made it back on her bed.

"Yur _such_ a good friend! I _looove_ you! I'm sssooorry I missed yur baseball game."

Eevee had no idea what she was talking about but thought it better not to ask any questions.

"We should go get some ice cream! Tha would be sooooooo great! Vanilla 'cause I don't like chocolate an' I'm borin' tha way."

"Sol, maybe you should just try to sleep it off..."

"But I don't wanna! Five more minutes!"

Eevee sighed and sat down on his own bed. Sol tried to get up, failed, and instead held up her hand and stared at it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Hey, Sol?"

"Wha?"

"Has something been bothering you?"

"I dunno."

"Really. I know how to tell when something is wrong. What is it?"

Sol was silent for a long time and Eevee thought she wasn't going to answer, but then she finally spoke up, her words mangled and slurred.

"I don't have no memory of who I was 'fore all this. Skuntank said he could see who I really am, an' it wasn't a good person. What if he's right, an' I'm just 'tendin' to be un 'cause I don't 'member my past?"

"You're a good person, Sol. You help people."

"I dunno. Don't matter anyway. The past don't make us who we are. I can be who I wanna be, an' any who say different can get stuffed."

That had to be the best piece of advice Eevee had ever gotten from a person drugged up on pain killers.

Sol soon fell asleep, despite her protesting that she wasn't tired in the slightest. To be honest, Eevee was more than a little relieved. Sol completely lucid could be a handful, often being extremely immature especially around Loudred, but she was even worse on whatever Chimecho had given her. Eevee was sure Chimecho had given her too much, but at least he had some quiet for the moment.

With nothing better to do, Eevee took out his journal. He had never told Sol that he kept one, mostly because she couldn't stand not knowing something and would no doubt try to read it when he wasn't around. She meant well, but she was just so stubborn sometimes and when she wanted something, she wouldn't stop until she got it.

All in all, Sol had her faults, but so did everyone, and they were greatly outweighed by all of her other qualities. She was the best partner Eevee could have asked for and he wouldn't have traded her for anyone.


	14. Sol and the Hole in the Sand

**Thank you to all who leave reviews. It's great to get some feedback along with some proof people are aware of this story's existence. Any thoughts, comments, things you would like to see happen, feel free to send them to me.**

"I never, never? No, I never, _ever_, want to go to a… dewenjewin… No! I never, ever want to go to a _dungeon_ with Loudred again!"

Sol triumphantly deciphered the sentence. She knew it wasn't right to sneak into Sunflora's room and read her diary, but she was just so bored! Despite the fact that Sol's arm was perfectly fine (those oran berries are just little miracles), she had been ordered to take a day off. Eevee had partnered up with Bidoof for the day, and Sol, alone at the guild, was going out of her mind with boredom and desperate for something to do, even if that something could be considered a terrible breach of trust. Besides, with no memory of her life before, she had no idea what normal people did with their free time, and she was curious. What better way then to read (or at least try to read) about Sunflora's?

"What's that supposed to mean… oh! P.S.! Two new kids… joyended… no, _joined_ the gooeld… guild. I am _not_ a kid! Agh… I think they were called Eevee and Sol… something, something, something, adorable. Hey, I am _not_ adorable!"

With a sound of disgust, Sol slammed the book shut. It had taken her almost an hour to read less than half a page! Sol had been at it for weeks but footprint runes were still well beyond her grasp.

Sol put the diary back where she had found it on the bedside table in plain sight. Sunflora hadn't exactly gone to any great lengths to hide it, almost as if she wanted someone to read it. At least that was Sol's excuse for prying into her private life. Wasn't as if there was anything interesting in there anyway.

Sol left the crew rooms. Maybe there'd be something interesting to do in Treasure Town…

"Sol!" came a high pitched squeal and Espeon jumped out of nowhere to all but tackle her to the ground in a flying hug. "I heard you were hurt! Are you ok? What happened? Your arm! Why is it in a sling?"

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down! How'd you get down here anyway?"

"Someone named Diglett let me in and told me that you were down here. Now come on, you have to tell me everything!"

Sol explained the mission for the perfect apples, Team Skull's interference and the explosion, though she left out the part about the offer.

"That's terrible! I can't stand bullies like Skuntank and his crew! And Chatot and

Wigglytuff won't listen to you? Just terrible! But you know what always makes me feel better? Shopping! Come on!"

Espeon grabbed Sol by her good arm and practically dragged her from the guild. Espeon ignored her protests, going on about sales and some adorable hat store that they just had to check out.

While the last thing Sol would've wanted to do that day was try on hats, she had to admit that this was exactly the sort of thing she needed. It could be stressful working at the guild, especially with the expedition looming. Shopping was hardly Sol's favorite activity, but getting out for a while with someone who had no ties to the guild was a much needed break, and it was impossible to feel bad with someone as happy and energetic as Espeon. For the moment, at least, Sol's biggest worry was that Espeon would buy her some ridiculous hat she'd be obligated to wear at some point.

"What about this one?" Espeon giggled, sporting a neon pink, poofy monstrosity that practically enveloped her head.

"Almost, but if you add these…" Sol grabbed a pair of oversized, lime green sunglasses and placed them on Espeon's face. "Perfect!"

"If I'm wearing this, you have to wear this…"

Espeon took down a giant sombrero and a feather boa and out them on Sol. They stood in front of a mirror and broke down in laughter.

"Oh, I can remember when Sparks was little! I'd dress him up and it was just hilarious! I was so mean to him back then!"

"I would've paid to see that!"

"Don't tell him I told you, though! He'd never forgive me!"

They put everything back on the shelves. As they left the store, a thought crossed Sol's mind.

"Hey, Espeon, can I ask you a question? About Eevee?"

"Um, sure, I suppose. Depends on the question."

"When it comes to bad Pokémon, Eevee can get rather… extreme. He's cooled down a bit now, but when we first formed the team, he was either shaking with fear or shaking with rage. Do you have any idea why?"

"…Well, back before he moved out here… no, I shouldn't be the one to tell you this."

"But I need to know! I've seen the effect it's having on him."

Not to mention Sol was insanely curious now and it would drive her crazy not knowing.

"Let's just say that Eevee went through a lot when he was younger. If he wants you to know more, he'll tell you. It's not my story to share."

That just made her want to know more! Still, Sol knew when to let a matter drop. If she pressed, she'd only end up damaging her friendship with Espeon. Hmm… she'd have to snoop around a bit later. It was probably really insensitive of her, but she had to find out! Agh, this was really going to bug her!

"Hey, Sol? Do you have any idea what that building over there is? I've heard some really strange noises when I pass by."

"I speak from experience when I say don't go investigate strange noises, but maybe we should go check it out. That might be the dojo I've heard about, and I was planning on going there at some point."

The building, while only one storey, was long and wide, taking up a lot of space. Along the walls stood columns in the shape of giant bones, and the top of the entrance was a giant skull, turning the doorway into the gaping maw of a monster. Small wonder Marrowak was having trouble attracting visitors.

To say Marowak was happy to see them would be an understatement. He was ecstatic at not having just one, but two visitors in his dojo. He was so worked up and overcome with emotion that he was close to tears, which was making Sol very uncomfortable, especially when she had to explain that with Chimecho's strict instructions not to remove her arm from the sling, she couldn't train right then. That was one awkward moment.

Still, Sol was given the chance to look around the place and she had to say she was impressed. There was a bit of everything here and for all levels of ability. Weights, balance beams, climbing walls, sparring mats, the list of equipment went on, all ready for the training of exploration teams. Sol could see why Marowak was so proud of the place.

Even Espeon, definitely not a fighter in any sense of the word, could see the value of this place. She asked if the dojo had any beginner level self-defence classes.

"Of course we have them! What kind of dojo would this be if there wasn't? Not that there's anyone signed up for them, but we have them none the less."

"Great! With the way things are right now it's a good idea to learn how to defend yourself, at least a little bit."

"Very wise! And what about you, Sol? It is regrettable that you are currently unable to train, but surely when you're healed there is a certain area of combat you would like to improve on."

"It's not like I'll be like this for long. Chimecho said I'll be all set to go come tomorrow. But I could use some work on using moves. They don't come easily to me, and they're not as strong as they should be. I make up for it with my skill with a staff, but I don't want to be completely dependent on it."

"Yes, weapons can be useful and powerful tools, but one can be disarmed. Moves can't be taken from you. I will come up with a regimen for you."

They left the dojo, but not before promising to spread the word about the dojo (they drew the line at handing out pamphlets). By then it was about the time Eevee was due back, so they went their separate ways and Sol went back to the guild.

Eevee and Bidoof had had a successful day. They had managed to complete two jobs at Drenched Bluff without anyone getting hurt. Then Loudred butted in and boasted about he and Sunflora did five jobs in Apple Woods. Sunflora had rolled her eyes and said it had actually been three, but Loudred pointed out that since they had to not only find the lost TM and parasol but also bring them back, which made it five jobs done. No one paid him any attention.

And then Chimecho called everyone down for dinner, a thick vegetable soup filled with barley, green beans, and potatoes. As it was ladled out into bowls, Sol mentally remarked on how she had never seen any type of meat served at the guild. It made sense when you thought about it.

"Everyone! Hold up! Before we begin dinner tonight, I wish to make an announcement."

The ensuing outrage was a testament to how seriously Pokémon took their food. Everyone started yelling and shouting at Chatot for the delay, none so loud as Wigglytuff who cried "Boo! Boo!" and threw dinner rolls at his second in command. Sol couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

Just. Friggin'. Hilarious.

"Order! I must have order!" Chatot shouted over the noise, wiping crumbs and a smear of butter off the side of his head (Wigglytuff had killer aim with those rolls).

Everyone grumbled but eventually quieted down, if a but resentfully.

"Ahem! I'm sure the selection of the expedition members has been on everybody's minds. Our Guildmaster has apparently made his final decisions."

The Pokémon's annoyance quickly turned to excitement with a tinge of apprehension. Who would be picked? Who would go on the adventure of the lifetime and who would stay behind?

"The members will be announced at tomorrow morning's briefing. They will be given that day to prepare, and then we'll head out the following morning. Now, sorry to have kept you waiting. Without further ado… on your marks…"

"LET'S EAT!"

The soup was devoured with the usual fervor. Anticipation bubbled in everyone's veins and it was doubtful anyone would sleep much tonight with all the excitement in the air.

Eevee was just as excited as everyone else, if not more, but forced himself to sleep saying that it "would make the night go faster". Sol wished it was that easy for her.

She was worried they wouldn't be chosen. They had tried their best, done all they could, but would it be enough? Sol hoped that Eevee at least got to go. Of course she wanted to go too, but this the expedition meant a lot more to Eevee and being an explorer was his lifetime goal, not Sol's. It wouldn't be right if she got picked over him, but when had life ever been fair?

With a sigh, Sol turned in her bed and tried to settle her thoughts. All would be revealed in the morning.

…

"Ahem. I shall announce the expedition members at this time. Guildmaster, the memo, please."

Total silence dominated the room as the Pokémon collectively held their breath. Chatot took the paper from Wigglytuff and help it up for all to see.

"The chosen members are written on this memo. Step forward if your name is called. First up is Loudred!"

"YES! Loudred for the win! WHO HOOOO!"

"Corphish!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Got it!"

"Next is… oh, what's this? Well this is a surprise! Bidoof!"

If Bidoof was insulted by that, he didn't show it.

"Really? Really and truly? Golly… Me? I'm going on the expedition? Urf, I'm sorry, but I can't seem to step forward right now. I'm feeling a might overwhelmed here. My legs aren't moving…"

"Right. Moving on. Sunflora and Chimecho!"

Sunflora squealed in delight while Chimecho stepped forwards much more humbly.

"And the last of the expedition members are… Diglett, Dugtrio and Croagunk. Oh, and Eevee and Sol. That is all. Wait a second! What?! Guildmaster! This list seems to include every member of the guild!"

Chatot was all but freaking out, wings flapping about while Wigglytuff was as calm as could be.

"Yup! That's right!"

"Well then! It seems that the whole selection process was meaningless!" Chatot said with much annoyance. "Moreover, if we were to all go, we would be leaving the guild empty! Are you sure it will be all right to leave with no one to look after the guild?"

"It'll be fine! We'll lock up properly."

"Guildmaster, I also have some misgivings," Skuntank piped up. "Do you think that perhaps we may have too many members for the expedition?"

He directed the last part at Sol, who bristled and growled softly.

"Hmm… When a friend asks something like that, I have to wonder why…" Wigglytuff said, perhaps not as hopeless as Sol thought.

"I mean, first of all, why does everyone have to go? What's the point in having everyone participate?"

"Huh?! Of course there is a point! If everyone went, it would be more fun!"

"What?!" Skuntank exclaimed, unable to comprehend such outrageous reasoning being the foundation of the Guildmaster's decision.

"We'll be noisy and excited and having fun! I started thinking about it and it made me so excited I couldn't sleep! So that's how it is, everyone! We're all going on the expedition and it will be fun, fun, fun!"

Skuntank could only stare at the pink, fluffy audacity that was the leader of the most celebrated exploration guild in existence. Chatot looked annoyed but was well used to Wigglytuff's whims by then.

"All right everyone!" Chatot said. "We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning. You have the rest of today to prepare. Dismissed."

Sol didn't know what to think. They all got to go on the expedition! She was a little annoyed at having been jerked around with the whole selection process thing, but that was overshadowed by the excitement and relief she was feeling. Eevee was grinning from ear to ear, Sunflora was going on about how "totally awesome" this was, Loudred was shouting about how he was going to find a treasure horde and that no one had better slow him down, and Bidoof was still rooted to his spot, unable to move.

After the initial rush of excitement had worn off, everyone ran down to Treasure Town in a big stampede of apprentices. As one big chattering group, they stopped by all the essential stops like the Kecleon Market, telling anyone who would listen about the expedition. At one point they ran into Espeon, who then ran off saying she needed to get something.

When everything was taken care of and everyone was prepared to leave the next day, they were all at a loss as to what they should do in the meantime. For one reason or another, they ended up on the beach.

"Come on, Sol! The water's great!"

"No, I'm fine where I am."

"Just give it a try!"

Sol cautiously dipped one foot in the ocean, then quickly scrambled back.

"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you acting like a fire type?"

"I just don't like wa- Ow! Damn it, Loudred! Stop throwing sand!"

"I'm just digging a hole. Not my fault you got in the way."

"Right. That was _definitely _an accident. And you call that a hole?"

"Like you could dig a better hole than me."

"Wanna bet?"

"Bring it on!"

"Do those two ever quit?" Sunflora asked Chimecho from where they sat together on the sand.

"I don't think so. One of the weirdest friendships I've ever seen."

The two laughed and watched Sol and Loudred in their pointless competition, a flurry of sand being thrown into the air accidently-on-purpose aimed to land in the other's hole.


	15. Sol and the Impossible Path

**Wigglytuff, you are so fun to write. Can't wait for you to give Team Skull a beat down. I am so writing that scene. Yay crazy people! **

"The objective: The exploration of Fogbound Lake, a lake that is said to be located far to the east. However, it is perpetually enshrouded by a dense fog. As such, its actual existence has never been confirmed... It is merely the foggy mirage of a spot that lives to this day on rumour alone. It is also rumoured... a treasure of exquisite beauty is hidden there!"

So there it was. The expedition was here at last. Chatot had given them a quick rundown of the plan then split them down into small groups. Sol was loathe to agree with Chatot, but it was a good idea. Moving as one large clump would really slow them down.

Sol, Eevee and Bidoof were put together. Eevee was happy, but Sol was a little disappointed that Chimecho, Sunflora or even Loudred wasn't with them. Still, she was a lot happier with her group than Wigglytuff was with his.

"Please! Don't make me go alone with Chatot! He's so booooring!"

Wigglytuff had come running down the road when the three had just reached the crossroads, yelling all the way that he was going with them and they had to leave right away before Chatot found out where he was.

"He's soooo serious and grumpy _all_ the time! And he never lets me stay up late or have any fun! I'll go with you, and I'll be good, I promise!"

"Guildmaster! Guildmaster!" Chatot's voice came calling from up the road to the guild. "Where have you run off to?"

"Hide me!"

Wigglytuff jumped behind Eevee, flat on the ground with his arms covering his head as Chatot appeared around a bend.

"Guildmaster! What are you doing? We need to get going!"

"I formally request sanctuary," he whispered to Eevee, as if Chatot wasn't looking right at him.

"Guildmaster, don't be difficult."

"But I don't wanna go with you! You hid all me Perfect Apples last time!"

"This is a key element of our strategy! And I've already told you, if you stopped raiding the supplies every time I turn around, I wouldn't have to hide them."

Never a dull moment when Wigglytuff was around. Not for the first, or the second, or the tenth, Sol wondered how he had managed to start a guild, and a successful one at that.

Chatot did eventually manage to get a whining Wigglytuff on his feet and away. Sol didn't know who to feel sorry for more. But then she remembered she couldn't care less about the trials Chatot faced.

Eevee, Bidoof and Sol started off again down the road, but they didn't make it very far before they were stopped once again.

"Wait! Hold on!" Espeon ran towards them. "When I didn't find anyone at the guild, I thought I was too late. I'm glad I managed to catch up to you and see you off."

"That's really nice of you. We appreciate it," Eevee told his cousin.

"This is a big deal! You're very first expedition! So I went and got you a little something to commemorate the event! Though I didn't realize the expedition was starting so soon. I really had to rush yesterday to make sure they were ready."

From her bag, Espeon pulled out a black bandanna with an intricate, odd design stitched in red. It took Sol a moment to recognize it as the symbol from Eevee's relic fragment.

"When I got the idea, I copied down the design from your... whatever you call it. I thought that maybe you guys could use something to signify who you are. I had a bunch made. Bidoof, would you like one?"

"Shucks, I do appreciate the offer, I really do, but I reckon this should be a Team Wanderers thing."

Eevee and Sol both tied one around there necks and stored the rest in Eevee's man-purse (oh, sorry, "satchel"). Sol rather liked them and thanked Espeon sincerely. It really was a nice gesture.

And so they set off again, this time without interruption. They had chosen a route along the seacoast, which would take them a bit farther south than they needed to go but would lead them to Mount Horn, who's cave system emptied out at the foot of the highlands where the base camp was to be set up.

Sol learned three things while travelling up Craggy Coast:

Don't pet the wildlife. Wingulls may look small and harmless but they're vicious in a flock.

Mystery dungeons don't care it it's impossible to be continuously going down but then somehow end up back at the beginning. On a related note, stubbornly taking the side path over and over again in a futile attempt to stick it to the dungeon only wastes time and gets your companions mad at you.

Bidoof wasn't nearly as bad of an explorer as he made himself out to be.

Bidoof was willing to work hard, learn from his mistakes and didn't run off recklessly by himself. Much like Eevee, Bidoof had always dreamed of being an explorer and therefore had read a lot about mystery dungeons while growing up and was full of information, most irrelevant but some useful like the bit about the Kangaskhan rocks.

The only real problems Sol saw was that he tended to stay on the defensive too much during fights, and when he was given a tip or strategy, he used it to the extreme no matter the situation, which made him to rigid in his technique and unable to adapt. Both of these should pass in time after he gains experience and confidence.

Thanks to Sol's repeated sojourns down the side path ("There is no way this is possible! I will figure this out!"), it was almost dark by the time the group made it away from the coast. They decided to set up camp just outside of the entrance to Mt. Horn, using driftwood taken from the coast to start a small fire.

In the warmth of the flame turned green from the salt encrusted wood, the three ate their dinner of dried fruit and settled down to sleep, too weary from the day's travels to talk.

...

"You all are late!" Chatot told the three when they entered the base camp the next day. "Everyone else arrived a long time ago! Go get your equipment ready. Make haste!"

They hurried into the camp. Mt. Horn hadn't been all that challenging, but it had been long. They had entered the caves at the crack of dawn and hadn't come out until late morning.

Sol was to share a tent with Sunflora and Chimecho, who had already set it up earlier and had a spot set aside for her. Loudred claimed to have set up the tent he, Bidoof and Eevee were to share, but it looked a lot more like be draped a tarp over a now bending stick. So Sol decided to help Eevee and Bidoof set one up right while Loudred complained from the sidelines how his was "good enough".

"Wait! Hold on!" Sol said from inside the half finished tent. "There's a lumpy spot there under the tent floor. Probably just a rock, but it'll be uncomfortable to sleep on. Let me just dig it out while we can."

Sol went outside and lifted the bottom of the tent and patted the ground until she found the lumpy patch. Covered under a thin layer of dirt was a stone that felt as smooth as polished glass and was surprisingly warm, as if it had been laying out in the sun.

"What is that?" Eevee asked when Sol pulled it out into the light.

"I'm not sure."

"It looks like someone encased fire in an orb of glass."

"It sure is different. I think I'll hold onto it. It'll be a good memento of the time Loudred failed at putting up a tent."

"I told you, it was GOOD ENOUGH!" Loudred yelled from the other side of the tent.

Eevee laughed. "Or it could be a souvenir of your first expedition."

"Which shall be remembered for Loudred's fail."

"And hopefully the discovery of treasure."

...

By noon they were all ready, and after a light lunch made by Chimecho, they assembled in front of Chatot and Wigglytuff.

"Now that everyone's here, we can begin our strategy briefing. Now, as you can see, we are in a densely forested area. Somewhere within this forest, Fogbound Lake is supposedly concealed... But so far, that has been nothing more than a rumour. Exploration teams of all stripes have mounted many a challenge, but so far the lake has eluded discovery."

"Hey, hey!" Corphish interrupted. "So it is really there or what?"

"Silly Corphish," Sunflora said. "You'll, like, wreck the dream if you say things like that."

"Yeah!" Loudred added. "Don't spoil things now!"

"Um, may I?" Chimecho said, unsure of herself. Everyone turned to look at her, and she stared at the ground with embarrassment at the sudden attention. "Um, a while ago, I heard about a certain legend about Fogbound Lake. According to the legend, Fogbound Lake is home to a legendary Pokémon named Uxie. Uxie is said to lock eyes with others and wipe their memories clean."

WHAT?! Wipe their memories clean?! Could that be... Was that what had happened to Sol? But if that were true, it still didn't explain how she had appeared on the beach or got turned into a Riolu.

"That's why, even if travellers were to happen upon Fogbound Lake, they would never remember and therefore can't tell others about it. That's how Uxie protects the lake."

"Golly, that's a pretty hair raising tale..." Bidoof mumbled nervously.

"But that can't be RIGHT!" Loudred said. "If no one can even remember the lake, how did the legend even start?"

"I don't know. I'm just telling you what I've heard."

"Places of this sort can be expected to have folktales and legends attached to them," Chatot stepped in, stopping the argument before it could begin. "Our guild has overcome difficult challenges and obstacles before but have succeeded."

"That's how our guild has earned the reputation of being first class," Dugtrio chimed in. "How could we not be under such inspiring leadership?"

What a bootlicker.

"Don't worry!" Wigglytuff sang. "Everything will be fine. Let's believe in success for this adventure, and... Let's try! Let's try!"

"Let's move on with the plan. The Guildmaster and I shall remain here to gather intelligence from our teams in the field. You are to go off in teams to explore the area. Be aware that this forest is enshrouded in a deep fog. Once you enter, visibility is severely restricted. Return to camp if you discover anything of note. That is all."

Team Skull ran off into the forest straight away. Diglett and Dugtrio went underground on the possibility it was an underground lake, which could explain its elusive status. After some conferring, the rest of the apprentices came up with a rough plan. Sunflora and Loudred would explore to the north east, Eevee and Sol due east, Corphish and Croagunk south east, and Chimecho and Bidoof due south. This was to decrease the chance that someone would search an area another team had already checked.

The forest was dark and ominous, and the fog was heavy and oppressive, dampening all sound. It was hard to know for sure if Sol was going in the right di Pokémon rection. To keep herself on track, she would pick and object in the distance (which was really only a few feet ahead given the fog), walk towards it then pick another one. In a token effort not to get lost, Sol would also scratch through the bark of the trees she passed, though the marks were merely impossible to see from any distance away.

The forest was definitely not a welcoming place. Sol got the feeling of being watched, and the infrequent shuffling or beating of wings just out of sight did nothing a alleviate the feeling.

"What was that?" Eevee whispered.

"Sol stopped and listened. After a few seconds, she made out a crashing sound, constant and not too far away.

"I don't know. Be ready."

The two crept along slowly, eyes straining into the murk and on full alert. In a place like this, it was hard to tell what direction sound was coming from.

There was a sharp crack from behind and Sol jumped around.

"Sorry," Eevee whispered. "That was me. I, uh, stepped on a twig."

"Hey, hey- Oof!"

Startled by the sudden noise, Sol had whirled around and leashed out with her staff, not realizing it was just Corphish before it was too late.

"Hey, hey! What was that for?!"

"Sorry. But you really shouldn't sneak up on people."

"What are you doing here, anyway? You were supposed to head east."

"We must have drifted south," Eevee said. "It's hard to keep going straight in the fog."

"Hey, hey, hey! You two find any clues?"

"No, nothing yet... How about you? Any luck?"

"Croagunk and I, we found something interesting. He went back to report it to the Guildmaster. It's over here I'll show you."

Corphish led them a short ways through the fog. The trees thinned out and they found the source of the crashing noise. Large waterfalls dumped tons of water into deep pools with a rumble like thunder. Sol couldn't see where the water was coming from, though.

Corphish took them to a large, stone statue tilted to the side from where the base was sinking into the earth.

"It seems to be some sort of Pokémon, though I've never seen one like that before."

Eevee walked around and examined the statue while Sol stared at the carved figure. This Pokémon was huge, extremely intimidating. It really looked as if it really paked a punch. If the Pokémon actually existed, Sol hoped the statue wasn't to scale.

"Huh? There's and inscription here!" Eevee exclaimed from the side of the statue. "Let me read it... 'Reignite the life that burned within Groudon, then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat. The path to treasure shall be revealed.' Whoa! Do you think this could mean the treasure of Fogbound Lake?"

"I'd hate to think we stumbled on the wrong, ancient, hidden treasure."

"'The life that burned within Groudon'... so this 'Groudon', is it this statue?"

"Hey, hey! So we're supposed to, what, ignite the life that was in the statue?"

"If that's supposed to mean we have to bring the statue to life so it can act as tour guide to the treasure, I am so outta here."

"That's just ridiculous, Sol."

"You're right. It is much more likely it comes to life and attacks us."

Eevee rolled his eyes and read through the inscription once more.

"How are we supposed to ignite life?"

Sol stared at the statue's face, cold and hard, then down at her hands. Hmm... It was worth a shot.

Sol ran a hand along the statue, intentionally trying to get a vision. She didn't have to wait long before the dizziness kicked in.

"That's it! It's here!"

The vision ended as quickly as it had begun, leaving Sol with just those four words. She didn't have time to think them over before the dizziness started up again, a second vision so soon after the first.

"I see! Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's Heart. That lifts the fog!"

"Very well done! Good job, partner!"

Sol blinked and the vision was gone. She had only been able to hear voices, broken and distorted like seeing a reflection in shattered glass. You could get a vague idea of what was being shown, but would never be able to identify it with complete surety.

So, if this was Groudon, what was the Drought Stone? Sol checked the statue's chest, and sure enough there was a small hollow where the heart would be. What would fit there... Wait! Was it possible?

Sol took out the odd stone she had found earlier. It was just the right size and shape. Ok, now she knew someone was messing with her. What were the odds she just happened to find the stone?

Sol fit the stone into the hollow. For a few moments nothing happened, then the statue's eyes glowed blood red and the ground started to shake.

"Waah! Sol, what did you do?! Everyone, we have to get back!"

They ran back from the statue, but only made it a few steps before the world was consumed by a blinding white flash. When it faded, the fog had been erased and the sunlight beat down with a fierce intensity.

And Fogbound Lake was revealed.

High above them, supported on a thick column of earth and rock, was a huge, circular plateau from which numerous waterfalls cascaded down. The sight held an impossible beauty and explained why fogbound lake had never been discovered. Sol could do nothing but stare at the astounding scene.

"Hey, hey!" Corphish shattered the awe struck moment. "This is no time to be gawking! I'll let everyone in the guild know, you two go on ahead!"

Corphish ran back towards the base camp, the trip sure to be much easier with the obscuring fog gone.

"All right, Sol. Onward to Fogbound Lake!"

"...I wanted to say the 'onward' line..."

"Oh. Go ahead, you can say it too."

"No, the moment is gone. Next time we uncover the secret entrance to something, I call dibs on the line."

"Hold it!" came a voice and Skuntank, accompanied by Koffing and Zubat, ran over and stopped them before they could leave.

"Chaw-haw-haw! Now that-"

"Hey, can we skip the whole unveiling of the plan, thing?" Sol interrupted. "Really, we've seen this coming for a while. You say something threatening, your lackeys insult us, Eevee says something along the lines of 'you'll never win', then I come up with a clever remark."

"Chaw-haw-haw. We can get right to the beat down if you prefer."

"See? You start with threats. Granted, this one is a bit more overt then your usual thin veil, but still..."

"Don't you remember what happened last time?" Eevee growled. "We won. You don't stand a chance!"

"Oh, we skipped your lackeys."

"Whoa-ho-ho! We'll just have to resort to a more traditional combat style. We don't need the noxious gas combo to cream you wimps anyway."

"There's the insults! Really, we need to come up with better showdown ideas."

No one was paying any attention to Sol by that point, not even Eevee. They were all poised to attack, until an apple suddenly rolled in between the opposing teams.

"Wait! Wait! Wait for me!" Wigglytuff ran over and scooped up the apple. "Perfect Apple! Perfect Apple! I finally caught you! My Perfect Apple! He thought he could hide you all, but no one can keep me from my Perfect Apples! Oh?"

Wigglytuff finally noticed all the people standing around staring at him.

"Oh, you two! And my friends, too! Everyone's all together! Yay, yay!"

"Guildmaster," Skuntank stammered. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Huh? What am I doing? I was taking a walk in the forest. Then my Perfect Apple went rolling and rolling away from me! I ran and ran and ran, and here I am! Oh, yes!" Wigglytuff turned to Eevee and Sol. "You two shouldn't be dawdling here, should you? You have a job to do, right? Go on, then, off you go!"

"But..."

"You don't want to listen to your Guildmaster? Booo! Booo! Hurry, get exploring!"

"Um... Ok. Let's go, Sol."

"Good luck!" Wigglytuff called after them.

**Next chapter: we finally meet that Charmnder I mentioned a while ago. No, I did not forget.**


	16. Jak and the Explorers

**I am horrible with fight scenes... I never know what to write. Tell me if I'm doing ok with this one, or if I need to make some changes and write future ones differently. Thanks!**

Intruders! Trespassers! They did not belong here, walking so disrespectfully through Jak's home. An Eevee, so joyful and excited as he walked along, not even the least bit wary of his surroundings. The Riolu, marching through the Steam Cave as if she owned the place, staff lazily held in one hand with it resting against her shoulder. A _weapon_ of all things! Not to mention those... things they wore around their necks like dressed up pets.

They were not true Pokémon, Jak thought. True Pokémon lived in the wild, fighting with only their moves to protect themselves and their territory. They were not coddled in those so-called "civilized" towns they were so fond of, modeled after the human societies they so admired.

_We are not humans, nor are we their little pets! We are Pokémon, wild and free!_ Jak thought.

People such as these never failed to anger Jak. She was a real Pokémon, hatched in the wild and fighting every day for survival. Nothing had ever been given to her, not food, not water, not shelter. Jak had found the Steam Cave and, as one lone Charmander, scratched out her own territory and continually fought to protect it. Slowly, ever so slowly, she had expanded it until it encompassed the top eighth of the caves, taking down those who stood in her way. It wasn't much and it wasn't glamorous, but it was _hers_, then these interlopers, these _explorers_, came and thought they could walk right through and disregard it all.

So Jak followed them and waited for her chance. The Riolu, she led the way with an air of easy confidence. She was the alpha of the group. That made the Eevee, content to follow behind, the beta. Defeat the alpha and the beta would run.

It was not hard to remain unseen. The two barely paid any attention to their surroundings, and they were impossible to lose, making as much noise as they were. In dungeons, one should not draw attention to oneself with constant chattering, yet there they were, going on about visions and memory loss or some such nonesense.

Jak tried looping ahead then hid behind a large steam vent. The thick vapour would hide her from view, but she would be able to jump through when the time came, the scalding heat harmless against her Charmander skin.

She waited with only the hiss of escaping steam for company until she heard the group approach, now they had to find answers at Fogbound Lake. Fools. No one went up to the lake, not if they knew what was good for them. The Riolu was still in the lead, treading along and oblivious to danger. The moment she passed in front of the vent, Jak struck.

She jumped through the steam without warning and tackled the Riolu to the ground. Jak tried to bite, but the Riolu managed to bring her staff up in time and instead her teeth closed around wood, leaving deep toothmarks in the side of the shaft. Jak growled fiercely then used her sharp claws to scratch at her opponents unprotected stomach.

Suddenly, Jak was knocked off the Riolu with a tackle from Eevee. He stood in between the two, watching Jak carefully and waiting for the Rioly to recover and get up.

What?! The beta should have ran after Jak had taken the alpha down! She had proven herself superior! But of course, these were not true Pokémon, so they could not be expected to act normally or logically. So unpredictable explorers were, Jak was close to labeling them all as insane. Still, Jak was capable enough to take them both if she had to.

"BURN!" she yelled and a burst of flame erupted from her mouth.

The move ember couldn't travel far, but the pesky Eevee was close enough. The fire hurtled towards him only for the Riolu to dash in and push them both out of the way.

They were **insane**, both of them! Jak just couldn't understand the two of them, and that was making her mad. Why couldn't they act like normal, rational Pokémon instead of throwing themselves in the path of fire?

With a growl, Jak charged the Riolu. She would show them all what a true Pokémon was! The Riolu was back on her feet once more and whipped her staff around in a circle. It hit Jak in the chest but she snarled through the pain and managed to grab a hold of the weapon, her claws sinking deep into the wood.

There was a brief tug-of-war match between the two before the Eevee hit Jak with a sand attack. Bits of rock and dirt were sprayed in her face and she stumbled back, releasing the staff as her hands were thrown up to protect herself.

Jak managed to clear her eyes in time to see the Riolu bearing down on her, staff raised high to strike. The Charmander did the only thing she could do and released another spray of fire, this time aimed at the staff. The wood caught fire in an instant, quickly blackening and releasing an intense heat.

The staff still came down, taking Jak on the shoulder with a stinging crack, but the weapon, weakened by fire, snapped in two. The Riolu stared dumbly at the broken staff, giving Jak the opportunity to send another blast of fire. The Riolu scrambled back with a shout, using her arms to shield her face from the flames. Ember wasn't all that powerful in terms of other fire type moves, but did it _hurt_.

Jak looked down at the discarded pieces of the broken staff. With another ember attack, the wood was turned to charcoal. She had had quite enough of that weapon.

Jak looked over to see the Eevee hurridley applying what looked to be an oran berry paste to the burns on the Riolu's face and arms.

_Time to end this,_ Jak thought.

"BURN!" Jak yelled and charged the two once more.

The Riolu's eyes, closed as the paste was applied, snapped open and stared directly into Jak's. She felt a chill, for those were not the eyes of a Riolu, or of any Pokémon Jak had ever encountered. They were foreign, alien, _different_. Jak steeled herself, then unleashed a blast of fire.

For a short moment, it was like time had slowed down and everything was presented in minute detail. The hot glow of the flames, the fear etched in the Eevee's features, the fierce and unyielding glint in those unnatural eyes. Yes, definitely an alpha. Then everything sped up and the Riolu's counted took effect, sending the flames straight back at Jak.

As a Charmander, the flames did no physical harm, but they did serve to momentarily blind Jak. Defenseless, she was unable to stop the Riolu from knocking her back and pining her to the ground.

"Do not hurt this one!" the fire lizard cried. "Jak knows the way to what you seek!"

Surprisingly, the Riolu did not attack further. Perhaps there was an upside to explorers' odd behavior. Still, suspicion filled the Riolu's face.

"So now you want to communicate? What happened, your fire run out of juice?"

"This one... does not understand what you are asking..."

The Riolu rolled her unusual eyes. What had happened to have made them that way? Were they the result of a powerful psychic attack? Perhaps a birth defect?

"What Sol means is why should we trust you? You were attacking us moments ago," The Eevee said.

"What's to stop you from attacking the moment I let you up?" the Riolu, Sol, asked.

"You have beaten this one, proven yourself to be superior. Alphas. Jak will not attack."

She wanted to add that true Pokémon would know that, but thought better of it.

"You seek Fogbound Lake, yes? It is on top of the plateau. Jak can lead you to the top exit, if you let Jak go."

"If she does know the way, she could be a great help..."

Sol looked up sharply at the Eevee.

"You can't be serious! She destroyed my staff then set me on _fire_!"

"It's not that bad. The oran berries have taken care of most of the burns. Use some rawst berries and you'll be completely fine. You may have some bald patches for a while..."

"Well isn't that just wonderful!"

Jak was confused. The Riolu, Sol, was the alpha, wasn't she? Didn't that mean the Eevee had to follow her commands, not argue against them? Maybe explorers used a different system, but it was hardly efficient. There was a lot of bickering, going off on pointless tangeants, something about never trusting someone who referred to themselves in the third person. Jak was right, they were all insane.

At any rate, Jak was eventually let up off the ground. As she began to lead them through the caves, she started to rethink the whole deal. She couldn't go up on the plateau! That's where the Guardian lived! Jak had pushed out many others in order to claim her territory, but the plateau indisputably belonged to the Guardian, and no one would ever think of trying to claim it. If Jak were to go up there...

No, she'd show them the way to the surface, but wouldn't step foot out herself. Jak would be free, the insane duo would be satisfied and then squashed soon after, then everything would return to normal.

But that Sol was so unreasonable. Jak showed them the exit, they could even see the star filled sky beyond, but Sol insisted she come with them. Jak tried to tell them that she couldn't go any further, that the Guardian would be the end of them all, but Sol would hear none of it. She said she didn't trust her not to send them into a trap. Why couldn't they be reasonable? Why couldn't they just let Jak go?

So the three left the caves into the open night air. Jak nervously glanced around, taking everything in. They were in a rocky area close to the edge of the plateau. Past the edge Jak could see the forest far down below. Other than the cave, the only way to go was a wide path between walls of rock on either side that opened up and surrounded the clear area in which the Eevee, Sol and Jak stood.

"GRROOOOH!"

An earth shattering roar echoed through the air. Heavy footfalls shook the ground.

"S-s-something is...is...coming!" the Eevee stammered.

"Really? Never would have guessed!"

"It is the Guardian!" Jak yelled. "We must flee!"

Despite Jak's advice, the explorers made no move to leave as the footsteps grew closer. What was wrong with them?! There was no dishonor in running when one was so heavily outmatched.

"Wh-what is that?!" the Eevee exclaimed as a colossal Pokémon with ruby red armored plates that covered its back, limbs, neck and head approached down the path. "It looks like the statue! Th-that Pokémon really exists?"

"YOU!" the Guardian said in a voice like thinder. "HAVE YOU COME TO DESECRATE THIS PLACE? DEPART NOW!"

"B-b-but..." the Eevee stuttered. "W-w-we only want to go to Fogbound Lake..."

"WHAT?! I AM THE GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE! I AM GROUDON! YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE HERE ALIVE, INTRUDERS! PREPARE FOR MY WRATH! GRROOOOH!"

Jak was terrified. All the possible ways Groudon could hill her ran through her mind in quick succession. The Eevee looked to be frozen in fear while Sol was muttering something about predictability, theatrics and going over the top as she slipped into a defensive pose.

Jak was not sticking around to see how this turned out. She had done as was asked and shown them the path to Fogbound Lake, and now it was time for her to leave. She turned and ran to the cave entrance.

Groudon stomped his massive feet, shaking the entire plateau. Jak was thrown off her feet and slid over the edge, and only her claws digging into the rocky ground saved her from a painful death.

"Jak!" the Eevee yelled.

His face appeared over the edge seconds after, looking down at Jak.

"Grab my hand! I'll pull you up!"

This was not something Jak would have ever expected. To be saved by explorers? To be saved by _anyone_? In the wild, one could count on no one ecept themselves. Still, Jak wasn't complaining and let herself be pulled up.

"How are we supposed to beat this thing?!" Sol exclaimed.

"You don't. This one suggests running."

"We can't get too close," the Eevee said. "A melee would be suicidal."

"The Guardian cannot be defeated. This one suggests running."

"Hold on, I've got an idea."

"Is it better than your idea to use a blast seed against Skuntank?"

"No. Worse, actually. Just keep him distracted."

Sol ran off and Jak was faced with the question of if all explorers were insane or just these two. Fleeing was the only option that didn't end with their inevitable deaths.

But, for some reason or another, Jak didn't try for the caves again. Instead, she found herself helping the Eevee keep keep Groudon distracted. Getting in close enough to use moves would mean death, so they kept their distance and made of noise while throwing rocks and pebbles. Groudon thundered towards them, and Jak and the Eevee dashed out of the way and repeat the process over again.

And then Jak saw Sol running along the top of the rock wall. She launched herself off the wall with a battle cry, aimed at the Guardian's back...

… And went right through him to land face first on the ground. Groudon's image rippled like water than evaporated into light.

"Sol!" the Eevee cried and ran over to the Riolu splayed on the ground.

"Owwwwwwwww..." she groaned.

What were you thinking?! You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"He had stubby arms. I didn't think he'd be able to reach anything on his back. I was still working on what I was going to do after that, but then he just up and vanished!"

"This one thinks you are insane."

"So does everyone else, including me," Sol said and got to her feet. "So was that the dreaded guardian you were going on about? 'Cause Groudon seemed rather... insubstantial."

"That was... That was not Groudon," a voice said from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. "That was nothing more than an illusion that I conjured. I am the true guardian of Fogbound Lake."

At that point, Sol slapped her hands over her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Eevee asked.

"You heard what Chimecho said! Uxie, the guardian of Fogbound Lake, locks eyes with others and wipes their memories clean. I am _not_ going through that again!"

"Yes, I am Uxie," the voice continued. "I cannot allow you to pass."

"Wait, please!" Eevee pleaded. "We don't mean to cause any trouble! We came only to get information! That's all!"

Information? Since when did explorers go anywhere just for information? They searched for treasure and glory, and Uxie seemed to share Jak's skepticism.

"Information, you say?"

"We're telling the total truth!" Eevee said, then seemed to rethink the statement. "Well, the totally total truth is that we're an exploration team... and we really would love to leave with treasure after all this work..."

That was more like what Jak expected. The honesty was surprising, though. Sol gave Eevee a kick and he changed the direction of what he was saying.

"But we don't want any if that's going to cause trouble! We'll be delighted to say that we made it this far!"

"Hmm..." Uxie considered his words. "Well... Ok, I believe you."

There was a dazzling display of light in the center of the clearing, as if thousands of multicoloured stars had erupted. Uxie materialized from the light, a light blue Pokémon with a yellow face and hair like material on his head. He floated several feet above the ground as he regarded them with an expressionless face.

"What is the information you seek? And you can stop covering your eyes. I won't take your memories, and it doesn't work that way, anyway."

Sol cautiously removed her hands, and looked at Uxie with suspicion.

"Speaking of the wiping memories thing, I have a bone to pick with you. Maybe. Possibly."

"What Sol means to say is we hoped to ask you something. Uxie, this is my pertner. At present, a Riolu. At one time, a human!"

WHAT?! A human?! Was that supposed to be some kind of joke? No, the expression on Eevee's face was completely serious. Jak had been helping a _human_? A meddling, thoughtless, arogant, no good _human_? But how could she have become Riolu?"

"But Sol has lost all her memories from when she was a human."

So she didn't remember anything? That might explain why Sol didn't act the way Jak imagined a human would act. If someone couldn't remember something, was it still important? Was Sol still a human, or was she now completely a Pokémon? Jak just didn't know.

"So, if we may ask, have you met Sol before, Uxie? And did you maybe take away her memories?"

"The answer is... no. No human has ever come here."

"What about a human-like person?" Sol asked, earning herself a few odd looks. "What? Just checking."

"I should explain further. I erase only memories of Fogbound Lake. I cannot fully erase all memories from living beings. I had nothing to so with your friend's memory loss, nor her transformation. The cause lies elsewhere."

Uxie stared hard at them for a few moments of silence.

"You have come a long way. It would not be right for you to leave with nothing but disappointed. Follow me to Fogbound Lake."

Uxie turned and left down the path.

"Remember that time with Tangs when he tried to protect his 'shinies' then suddenly invited us to see them?"

"Yeah."

"Well forget about that! Let's go!"

Sol ran down the path with Eevee, then turned so she was running backwards while looking at the stationary Charmander.

"You coming, Jak? This is not something you'll want to miss!"

Jak hesitated for a moment, then ran after the explorers.


	17. Wigglytuff and the False Friends

**Dear unnamed guest who left that review: I'm glad you are so fond of Jak, a character I was unsure on whether people would like her or hate her.**

**Wigglytuff's perspective was much harder to write then I had expected. I hope I didn't ruin this chapter. Please Review!**

"La la la la! La la la! La la la laaaa! La la la la!"

Ooh, Wigglytuff was so excited! What kind of treasures waited at Fogbound Lake? He really hoped Team Wanderers would get back soon with good news. Good news was so much better than bad news.

Wigglytuff would have kept on exploring, but that wouldn't have been good Guildmastering. One had to know when to step back and let the apprentices handle things. How else would they learn? And Team Wanderers had a lot of learning left to do.

Eevee didn't have enough confidence in himself, a fact that was preventing him from reaching his full potential. Wigglytuff had trouble understanding that, since he had never experienced such a feeling for himself. Since everyone lives with themselves for their whole life, how could they not know just how capable they are? Wigglytuff hoped that with a few successes, like perhaps being the one to discover Fogbound Lake, would help with Eevee's problem.

And then there was Sol, the Riolu and completely normal. Or so she would have everyone believe. Wigglytuff was an experienced explorer and knew when something held a secret, be it an ancient ruin or an immature apprentice. Secrets, secrets, everyone had their little secrets, and it made the world all the more interesting. Of course, if Wigglytuff were to guess, Sol had quite the big little secret. He may not be sure what it was exactly, but he was aware that it was there. He didn't think it to be a harmful secret so he didn't dig into the matter, even though curiosity was driving him crazy.

Secrets or no secrets, Sol had quite a bit to learn about being a member of an exploration team, emphasis on the word _team_. She was somewhat... cynical, and not very trusting. Not in the way that she expected people to turn on her, definitely not, but she was in the mindset that if she didn't do something herself, it wasn't going to be done right, like the world would fall apart if she wasn't there to hold it together. Contrary to popular belief, Wigglytuff did read mission reports, well, most of them... ok, _some_ of them, the ones that had interesting/funny titles, and from what he could gather Sol would often overlook the fact that she wasn't there alone. Charging into fights without consulting with her partner, coming up with plans then enacting them without informing her partner of anything, as if only Sol needed to know and could get it all done by herself. Wigglytuff didn't think it was arrogance, not really. Sol didn't think she was better than everyone else, but that everyone else was worse than she was. It may not seem like it, but there was a difference. Working in a team should help with that. Hopefully.

Wigglytuff tried to help with all his apprentices overcome their shortcomings in ways they rarely even noticed. Chatot and all the others might think that he handed out special jobs and assignments on passing whims, but there were reasons behind them all. Well... most of them, at least. Sending Sunflora alone after that seemingly invincible outlaw in that cave full of fire type Pokémon was probably not one of his better ideas. But hey, it all turned out all right in the end.

Wait, where was he... Oh, right! Fogbound Lake! What was taking Eevee and Sol so long? It would be getting dark soon. Team Skull seemed to be getting rather anxious as well, whispering to each other, staring at Wigglytuff with dark, intimidating faces. Wigglytuff didn't know why they were doing such a thing, so he asked them.

"Dear friends! What's wrong? You've been making such scary faces at me!"

They didn't answer, and if anything they screwed up their faces even more as they whispered to each other.

"I get it! You're trying to make me laugh with silly faces! I bet I can make you laugh too!"

What a great idea this game was! Skuntank must have realized how boring just standing around and waiting was, and decided to help pass the time by trying to make each other laugh! How considerate he was! Too bad Skuntank wasn't all that good at the game, not nearly as good as Wigglytuff. The Guildmaster placed a hand under each eye and stretched them down while making a funny 'o' shaoe with his mouth. For added effect, he threw in some sound effects, the real dividing line between amateurs and champions.

"Blabba! Blabba! Blapp! Blobba! Blobba! Blopp!"

"Hey Wigglytuff!" Skuntank interrupted.

So wrapped up in his funny face making, it took Wigglytuff a few seconds to form a coherent response.

"Whatiswhatiswhatis... What is it?"

"Hey, no hard feelings, but... you're going down! Take this! A noxious gas special, straight from me and Koffing!"

A large, purple cloud shot out from the two Pokémon and surrounded Wigglytuff. He wasn't completely sure what was going on, but it really smelled horrible! Best not to mention anything, though. No need to embarrass them.

And then, tragedy struck.

Wigglytuff went to check on his Perfect Apple and make sure it was ok. After the ordeal of having been hidden by Chatot then rolling around the forest, he had to constantly ensure the apple was in pristine condition with a bright red, shiny exterior and a healthy green leaf attached to the stem. But now, the leaf was dead and withered, the apple a sickly brown. The smelly gas had killed his Perfect Apple.

"You... hurt my... Perfect Apple," Wigglytuff hiccuped, overcome with grief.

"What?!" Skuntank exclaimed. "We put everything behind that attack! You should be knocked out!"

"You hurt my Perfect Apple..." Wigglytuff repeated, his sorrow turning to anger.

"Hey, chief... maybe we should get out of here..."

"YOU HURT MY PERFECT APPLE!"

His rage burned with a fierce intensity, consuming all other thought. His poor, innocent, delicious Perfect Apple! It was so young... It would be avenged!

With an echoing cry filled with grief and anger, Wigglytuff launched himself through the air. Koffing was the first to fall, crushed under Wigglytuff's body slam. Next came Zubat, who tried to defend himself with a high pitched screech attack. The sound hurt Wigglytuff's ears, but it was nothing compared to the pain of losing his Perfect Apple. Zubat was slammed into the ground then stomped upon for good measure.

And then it was Skuntank's turn. The earth was shaking with the pink Pokémon's fury, small eruptions bursting forth from the ground. Skuntank was backing away, fear evident on his face. He tried another gas attack to no avail, then attempted to flee.

Wigglytuff charged after him with a roar. While fear was a great motivator, none could escape the wrath of the mighty, terrifying and, above all else, _pink_, Wigglytuff.

Pound was Wigglytuff's preferred move. While not normally all too powerful, it was an attack of immense power when fueled by such blinding anger. Skuntank was left as a moaning and groaning mess on the ground with the other members of his team all in the same state he was in.

Revenge would never bring his Perfect Apple back, but it sure made him feel better. Perhaps exploring would help take his mind off of it. Wigglytuff was pretty good at forgetting about stuff he didn't like.

He found the entrance to the Steam Cave, a sweltering place filled with vents releasing scalding, vapourous water. Not exactly the most welcoming place, but the excitement bubbling up inside of him overshadowed the unpleasantness. Even his anger was dissipating in the face of discovering something new.

By the time Wigglytuff made it to the top if the plateau, he was practically bursting with excitement. Not that anyone would have been able to tell just by looking at him. As he walked along in the refreshingly cool night air, he was the picture of calm. That, of course, was shattered the moment he laid eyes on the majesty of Fogbound Lake.

"A Time Gear! A Time Gear! Well, too bad! We can't take a Time Gear."

The mystical object shimmered and shone from its place at the center of the lake, giving off a bluish green glow. The radiance was reflected off the water in a dazzling display of light.

Wigglytuff ran down to the lake's shore where Eevee and Sol, know with bald spots decorating her face and arms, stood alongside three others he didn't recognize. One was a Charmander standing slightly apart from the others, her eyes darting about and looking very uncomfortable. The second was a light blue and yellow Pokémon floating several feet off the ground with a face devoid of emotion, as if he was carved from stone. The third was a colossal, red Pokémon like the Groudon statue down below, standing unnaturally still and flickering in and out of view.

"Wow! Fantastic!" Wigglytuff exclaimed and stared out over the lake.

"And who might this be?" the blue and yellow Pokémon asked.

"Oh, Uxie and Jak, meet our Guildmaster, Wigglytuff," Eevee said.

"Glad to meet you, friend! Friend! Friend! Amazing! Friend!" Wigglytuff sang and the Charmander, Jak, looked even more uncomfortable and seemed to be on the verge of bolting. "Gaze upon this amazing view! I'm delighted we came! La-dee-la! Dee-la-dee!"

It really was beautiful. The stars twinkling high above in their brilliant, never ending dance. The trees in the far distance around the lake, shrouded in darkness and lending an eerie beauty to the edges of the scene. Then the Time Gear itself, the center piece of the sight, flowing with a magical and unexplainable energy that immediately drew the eye with its enchanting aura. Sol sure seemed enraptured, not once moving her eyes from the view even at Wigglytuff's approach.

"Squ-squ-squawk?!"

Wigglytuff turned to see Chatot and the rest if the apprentices on the path, flinching back from the flickering image of the legendary Groudon.

"Gr-Gr-Gr..." Loudred stammered.

"Eek! It's, like, Groudon!"

"Don't eat me! I'm not tasty!" Corphish yelled.

Wigglytuff rolled his eyes. With the fantastic view of Fogbound Lake right there, they were stuck on little details like giant, mythical Pokémon? It wasn't like Groudon was doing anything wrong. He just stood there, doing that weird flickering thing he did, like a candle flame in the wind.

"Hello to one and all! So what's wrong?"

"G-G-Guildmaster?" Chatot sputtered. He could be so slow sometimes, but what was a Wigglytuff to do?

"Oh, never mind that!" he said, waving a dismissive hand at Groudon. "Everyone, look out there! It's spouting! Pretty! Pretty!"

Like a giant fountain, the water around the Time Gear was shooting upwards. Illuminated from inside, it glowed a myriad of pinks, greens and blues.

"Oh my! So shimmering!" Chimecho exclaimed.

"Yup yup! Some kind of pretty!"

"Yes, the lake geyser erupts every now and then," Uxie said. "And the Time Gear sends up illumination from below. In harmony, it is the very vision of beauty!"

"The treasure! The treasure... must be the view of Fogbound Lake!"

And what a treasure it was! How often does one get the opportunity to see something so magnificent? This was definitely an expedition worthy sight.

As was always the case when Wigglytuff made a new discovery, the happiness and excitement was tinged with a thin layer of sorrow, lessened by time but still there. His fingers lightly touched the small Defend Globe he carried everywhere, a treasure more precious to him than even the most perfect of Perfect Apples. Every discovery he made came with the bitter reminder that his old mentor, Armaldo, was not there to see it with him.

From the corner of his eye, Wigglytuff saw Eevee pull something from his bag, a black bandana with a design stitched in red. He gave it to Jak, who took it after a moments hesitation, but then stared at it as if she had no idea what to do with it.

"You helped us out, and we appreciate it," Eevee said, causing Sol to snort and mutter something under her breath while tracing the bald spots on her face. "I just wanted to give you something as a way of saying thanks."

How nice it was to see friends being so nice to each other!

"I shall not take away your memories of this place," Uxie eventually said. "You have earned my trust. But I must ask that you keep this place a secret."

"Surely! Thank you!" Wigglytuff sang. "We all know what we need to do! You know, another Time Gear has been stolen. This one must stay safe! We won't say a word about this place. I swear it on the name of Wigglytuff's Guild!"

"Please hold true to that promise."

"Ok! Let's be on our way!" Wigglytuff declared. As beautiful as Fogbound Lake may be, it was getting late and he didn't want to overstay their welcome. That would just be rude! "Chatot, if you will!"

"I'll hop to it, Guildmaster! Everyone, we're going back to the guild!"


	18. Sol and the Stalker

**Jak, you are now the funest character to write.**

**Remember, reviews are awesome!**

That was something of a let down. After all the fuss of the expedition, Sol had been expecting something... more. "Hey, everyone! Let's hike two days into the dangerous wilderness, braving dense fog and vicious enemies just to stare at a pretty lake!" Disappointing.

Then there was the fact they had to lie about it. Sol agreed that it had to be done, that the Time Gear needed to be protected, but that didn't mean she was happy about it. She didn't want her first expedition to be remembered by all as a failure. That'll leave something of a smudge on her budding reputation as well as that of the guild.

So what did Sol have to show after all that hardwork and effort? Burned fur and a stalker.

Like an errant shadow, the Charmander Jak had been trailing some distance behind Eevee and Sol as they made their way back to the guild, the black and red bandana tied around her wrist. Whenever Sol would look back, Jak would stop in her tracks and stay completely still as if that would hide her from sight.

Jak hadn't tried speaing to them since thay had left Fogbound Lake, which was fine by Sol. She was still bitter about the whole 'set on fire' thing, which hadn't been helped by the fact that **everyone** had noticed and Loudred wouldn't stop bringing it up. Sol was in a bad mood and certainly didn't feel like talking to the one she held responsible, so was fine with just ignoring Jak's presence.

In truth though, it wasn't Jak's fault. Sol was feeling frustrated and Jak was an easy target to blame. The trip had been tough and tiring, Uxie hadn't known anything about Sol's past, they had nothing to show for their effort, they had to tell everyone it was one huge failure, and she had stubbed her toe a while back and it _really_ hurt. All the other apprentices seemed happy with the way it all turned out and even Chatot seemed content. Sol had expected some comment or complaint about the lack of treasure from him but even he was satisfied. Did that mean Sol was more shallow than Chatot? A chilling thought.

Well, taking it out on Jak wasn't going to help. If she was going to follow them there was no reason she had to be creepy about it.

Sol turned and walked back towards Jak. Eevee asked what she was doing but received no answer. Jak stood completely still as Sol approached, becoming more and more nervous the closer the Riolu got. What did she expect Sol was going to do? Attack her?

"You can quit with the whole stalker routine. Now before you start cutting letters out of magazines, come up here."

Sol took her by the arm and dragged her up to where Eevee was waiting. Then, for no other reason then she felt like it, Sol threw an arm around Jak's shoulders, completely invading her personal space. Oh, the look on her face!

"So, what brings you up here away from the hot, humid and miserable Steam Cave? Wracked with guilt over ruining my beautiful face? It's my best feature, you know. Or perhaps you couldn't stay away from my irresistable charm and impecable wit? If you haven't noticed yet, I'm extremely self centered."

"Sol, stop it. You're making her uncomfortable."

"But it's _fun_ and I'm _bored_."

Still, Sol removed her arm and gave her some space.

"Why _are_ you here, Jak?" Eevee asked.

"Jak is... confused about things. Staying in the Steam Cave no longer felt right and this one has no where else to go."

"Well Jak could've just asked to come instead of making this one creeped out."

"This one was unsure what you would say."

"We're on our way back to Wigglytuff's Guild near Treasure Town," Eevee said. " You're welcome to come if you want."

They walked for several minutes in awkward silence. Every few seconds Sol would catch Jak staring at her out of the corner of her eye.

"What?" she finally asked.

"Is it true you were once human?"

"Here we go..."

"It sounds impossible to Jak that such a thing could happen. You also do not behave as a human would."

"And how do humans behave, exactly?"

"Arrogantly... Selfishly... Cowardly... Greedily..."

"I'm just going to ignore those insults and assume you have no idea."

"..."

"Have you ever even met a human?"

"... No."

"Then where's the negative view coming from?"

"It is just something that is known."

"Right. Ever consider thinking for yourself?"

"That is why Jak is here."

Another minute of awkward silence.

"If you cannot remember anything from before, how do you know you were a human?"

"For the love of... My personal memories were taken away, not my knowledge. I remembered not being a Riolu even though I can't remember what I looked like. It's the same as I remembered what food is but not my favourite dish."

Another moment of silence.

"Are your memories completely gone or can you remember bits and pieces?"

For the next couple of hours, Sol was bombarded with question after question until the whole story came out. Waking up on the beach, joining the guild, the expedition, the vision. Sol was a little hesitant telling Jak about the visions, but for some reason felt like she could trust the Charmander. And then came the last question.

"Are all of your guildmates aware of all this?"

"No, and I'd like to keep it that way. If everyone found out that I'm a human turned Riolu, who knows what would happen. Speaking of which, I don't mean to sound like a jerk or anything, Eevee, but could you at least run it by me before you tell people about me?"

"Oh, Sol, I wasn't even thinking! I'm so sorry!"

"It's ok. I woulda probably ended up telling Uxie myself, but just for future reference."

"I'll be careful not to say anything from now on."

"I just think it's impossible to predict just how someone will react."

"This one thinks... secrets are like festering wounds, getting worse as time goes on."

"Well this one thinks secrets are the only thing keeping me from getting run out of town."

"It is your decision. Jak is unfamiliar with the ways of towns."

They continued on and ever so slowly Jak became more and more relaxed around Eevee and Sol. She was certainly not what Sol would have expected from a wild

Pokémon, but then again Sol didn't know all thay much about them to begin with.

Sol was able to learn quite a bit about Jak. First and foremost, she was as blunt as could be. No beating around the bush or sugar coating for her. Embarrasment also seemed to hold no meaning for her. She said what she thought, did what she wanted regardless if it was considered proper or normal. Jak also had some odd ideas about Pokémon towns and exploration teams. Apparently 'civilized' Pokémon weren't looked upon so favourably by the 'true' Pokémon of the wild. Explorers were particularly disliked. That, of course, raised the question of why Jak was traveling with them. Not even Jak seemed to know the answer.

The sun sat low in the sky, slowly sinking below the horizon. Bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun, Sol decided Jak had a strong, if a bit warped, code of honour and despite their rocky first encounter was someone she genuinly liked. Sure, Jak was as weird as they come but normal people are boring and not nearly as amusing to watch. What normal person was completely baffled by the concept of currency?

And then there was Jak's opinion on buildings.

"Pokémon are not meant to be cooped up inside like humans."

"Was that supposed to be an insult? It kinda sounded like an insult.

"Come on, Jak. This is the guild where Sol and I room and board. You can come inside for the night. I'm sure no one will mind."

"No. Jak will find shelter among nature, as it should be."

"How is a building all that different from a cave? Stop being difficult and come inside."

"Jak will stay outside alone."

"Hold on. This has nothing to do with being inside, does it?"

"..."

"You just don't want to go inside in case all the other apprentices are around. Not comfortable in crowds?"

"You don't need to be afraid, Jak. Everyone in the guild is very nice and welcoming."

"Except for Chatot. He's a dick."

"Jak is **not** scared," the Charmander growled. "Jak does not want to sleep inside a building."

"Hope you're sure about that. Once the gate closes at nightfall there will be no getting in until morning. If you change your mind in the meantime, just come in and you can sleep in our room."

"We can't just leave Jak out here!" Eevee exclaimed.

"Unless you're planning on whacking her over the head and dragging her inside, we have no control over it."

Eevee was looking conflicted but entered the guild after Sol. Jak watched them go, her face an inscrutable mask as she toyed with the bandana around her wrist.

As was always the case, Eevee and Sol were the last to arrive. Everyone was discusing the expedition and Fogbound Lake. Not a hint of disappointment was to be seen, not even when the subject of keeping it a secret came up. If anything they seemed excited and proud of being honourary guardians of the Time Gear.

"I'm going to be the BEST at not telling anyone!" Loudred had declared.

Was Sol the only one who thought the whole thing was a bit of a let down? Seeing a view, no matter how stunning, after fighting the legendary Groudon (illusion or not) was anticlimatic. Perhaps Jak was right. Humans are greedier than Pokémon.

After the long trip back from the base camp, everyone was tired. Fatigue eventually won out over excitment and the apprentices decided on an early night.

...

Rain fell lightly in a soft patter outside. A cool wind swept in through the open window, disturbing Sol's peaceful slumber. She stirred, mumbled something about darkness and a red eye, then rolled over in her bed. After a moment, Sol opened her eyes to see another face only inches away, laying on the bed and staring at her intently.

"Waaah!" Sol screamed and scrambled out of her bed while Jak watched without expression.

"What's going on?" Eevee asked sleepily from his own bed, not completely awake.

"Crazy stalker in my bed! Crazy stalker in my bed!"

Eevee's gaze drifted down to Jak then back up to Sol. Then he turned around to face the wall and went back to sleep without another word.

"Jak! What are you doing here?"

"You said this one could stay in your room if Jak's mind was changed."

"Yes, but I didn't say you could sneak into my bed while I'm sleeping and then **stare** at me! How did you even get in here?"

"Jak climbed down the cliff then in through the window. Your security is very sub par."

"Just... get out of my bed. What's with the cup of water?"

"This one found it after coming in. Your hand was in it so Jak moved the cup."

"Why was... LOUDRED!"

Sol picked up the cup and stormed from the room. There was a yelp, the sound of something shattering, yelling, then a few minutes of silence. Then Sol returned dragging a spare bed behind her.

"You can stay, just ease back on the creepy. Breaking into people's rooms, sneaking into their beds, staring at them while they sleep, these are all things to avoid. The same goes for setting fires, hiding in closets, playing the violin in the middle of the night, complex plots to convince people they're crazy... I'll think of more later. For now, good night."

...

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S- AHHH!"

"Assassin! He attacks while we sleep with his dehibilitating voice!"

"Get her off! Get her off!"

"BURN!"

"No, there will be no 'burn'," Sol said and dragged Jak off a terrified Loudred. "This is Loudred, the guild's glorified alarm clock."

"The same Loudred who tried to subvert your authority through humiliation last night? Perhaps he has decided on a direct assualt since his last plan's failure. This one advises to end the threat now."

"My authority? Ok, one, the person with the 'authority' around here is Wigglytuff. Two, I am not 'ending' Loudred! We do not 'end' people!"

"Jak did not mean kill him. Chase him away from your territory to where he can do no harm. Conflict in the pack leads to weakness easily exploited by outsiders."

"What? Anyone know what she's going on about, 'cause I'm completely lost."

"Whenever I come in here I end up getting ATTACKED!" Loudred complained. "Who is this, anyway?"

"This is the yet to be socialized Jak," Sol said. "And we would very much appreciate if you don't mention this little incident to anyone. Now let's get over to the morning addresses, then I'll see to teaching Jak the dos and don'ts of town life. I'll try and focus on the don'ts."

Over the next week, Eevee and Sol did their best to help Jak become accustomed to the guild. It was slow going and Jak had trouble understanding much and even more trouble letting go of past views and habits. The guild was not the wild and the same rules did not apply.

Jak was never comfortable being around a large number of people, or even small numbers sometimes. She avoided the town, Spinda's Cafe and the second floor of the guild where exploration teams gathered around the bulletin boards. Whenever she wasn't with Sol, her new alpha (a title that Sol remained unaware of), she disappeard to parts unknown but would always return within a couple of hours. For once respecting the privacy of others, Sol never asked where she went or what she did.

At first, Jak was a sort of auxilary member of Team Wanderers. She helped out on jobs, leant her support where she could. Eventually, she was ready to officially join the guild as an apprentice, her black and red bandana proudly displayed on her wrist (she still wasn't getting it was supposed to go around her neck).

Just in time for everything to get interesting.

**Hope you're enjoying the story. Hmmm... Wonder what Grovyle is up to...**


	19. Grovyle and the Missing Partner

**I've been wanting to post a Grovyle chapter for a while now. Major spoilers for the game's story line, just so you know. You have been warned.**

As had become his morning ritual, Grovyle found a nice, clear spot in the grey, predawn light and waited for the sun to rise. It really was an amazing sight, indiscribable in it's beauty.

His first night in the past had been horrible. Everything had been cold and wet, drenched by the lashing storm. The bright colours and vibrancy he had been eagerly awaiting were shrouded in darkness, the night sky concealed behind a thick layer of dark clouds. Even worse had been the panic, all consuming after Sol had been lost.

Something had gone wrong during the trip through the time tunnel. It had started out fine, tumultuous and confusing, but fine. They had been spinning around and around so fast in a tight circle, keeping a firm grip on each others hands. Grovyle had been terrified, but a huge grin had been plastered on Sol's face and she looked as if she were having the time of her life.

And then... Grovyle wasn't quite sure what had happened, had glimpsed only a vague shadow of... something behind Sol's shoulder, then suddenly she had screamed as if in pain and one of her hands was torn away from his grasp. He had tried, of how he had tried to hold on to her, but it wasn't enough enough. Bit by bit her other hand slipped out of his and she was pulled away.

When Grovyle had been dropped in the middle of the forest, he had immediately yelled Sol's name and torn through the foliage in search of her, heedless of the pounding rain and booming thunder. Fear, worry, panic, the past was supposed to be a happy, wonderful place but Grovyle had never felt worse. For all he knew, Sol was out there, alone and injured, a human in a

Pokémon world. Would anyone even help a hurt human? Or she could be dead. Lost in the time tunnel with no way out, perhaps. It may have even been possible that she had been thrown out in a different time, either years before or after Grovyle came out.

Before they had come here, they had decided in which order to get the Time Gears, starting with the easiest then working up to those better protected and with guardians. He had hoped that he would run into her at the first in Treeshroud Forest, had camped outside for a week in case she turned up, feeling worse and worse as each day went by.

Where was she? Was she ok? Was she lost somewhere in need of help? Should he hold off in searching for the Time Gears and instead look for her? But she wouldn't want him doing that, would she? Sol wouldn't want Grovyle abandoning the mission because of her.

All these thoughts tortured his mind until he could take it no longer. So he packed up his camp and thrown himself into the search for the Time Gears, trying to push the worry from his mind with little success.

The sun was now peaking over the horizon, bathing the world in a golden light. It was a symbol of hope, both for his partner and his quest. The sun was probably the only thing keeping him going without Sol by his side. In the future, where the sky was always a dark, dreary, charcoal grey, Grovyle had often seen Sol staring up at the empty sky as they walked along rocky paths or amid twisted, gnarled trees. Everytime, like their own small ritual, Grovyle would ask what she was doing. Sol would turn to him with a sad little smile and say, "I'm imagining the sun is up in the sky." Then, when they set up camp with the fire crackling to ward off the persistant chill as they settled down to sleep, she would lay on the ground and once again stare at the sky, regardless of whether they were in a cave or out in the open air. In a world frozen in time, there wasn't really much difference.

"Imagining the sun?" he would ask, different ritual, different question.

"Imagining the stars," she would answer, not turning her head.

Sol was like that, homesick for a place she had never been, missing something she had never had. Grovyle tried not to think about it. Life was difficult enough without torturing himself with thoughts of what could have been. If onlys got people nowhere. But he had listened when she talked, her eyes shining with an inner light, about the rustling of a warm summer breeze throught the trees, of ocean waves crashing against rocks, of twinkling stars forming pictures in an endless sky.

"How can you be so sure that's what it's like?" he had asked once.

"Because I just do," she had said and looked away, her voice filled with immeasurable sadness and loss, as if the planet's paralysis had happened only days before instead of centuries. Grovyle had never asked again.

And the world of the past was exactly as Sol had described, but there is a difference between hearing about something and seeing it for yourself. Just the variety of colours alone was astounding after living in a world of grey. How does one describe such colour to one who had never seen it?

Grovyle wished so very hard that Sol was there to see it with him. After the success of their quest, it would be too late to find her. He was all too aware what would happen, but he had hoped to spend these final days with his friend, not completely alone. All he wanted was to see her one last time, have the chance to say good bye before it was too late. What had been the last thing he had said to her, before going into the time tunnel? He couldn't remember, and that left him with a hurt he had no name for. Would he even be able to finish the mission without her?

Grovyle had never doubted the necessity of their mission, but he did doubt their chances of success. What could they possibly hope to accomplish against such imposible odds? But Sol had never let him give up, was always so sure of their abilities.

"You manage to put up with me but you think _this_ is hard?" she would joke, or, "You know what the great thing is about life? It doesn't care if you think somethin gis impossible or not."

Sol believed so whole heartedly that they could do it, but had misgivings on whether they _should_. At first she was resolute, but the closer they got to their goal the more doubts niggled on her mind. She tried to bottle them up until she almost had a breakdown, and then it was Grovyle's turn to lend his strength.

"This effects more than just us," Sol had suddenly cried, tears filling her eyes. "Do we have the right to decide the fate of so many? We are effectively killing thousands of people! No, worse then that, we're snuffing out their very existance, ensurin they are never even born!"

"Sol," he had said, shaking his head. "It has to be done. Look around you, this isn't living."

"I don't want you to just disappear," she finally said. "Or me."

The last was added almost like an after thought, more for Grovyle's benefit than because she was actually concerned about it. Was she in denial about her own fate? Did she not care what happened to herself? Grovyle had never gotten the impression that Sol worried about disappearing but instead saved all her worry for Grovyle and Celebi.

"You must think I'm a coward."

"Courage is not the absence of fear but the will to press on despite it," he had told her.

"Grovyle and Sol had kept each other going. Grovyle never would have gotten this far without her, and not just because of her visions.

It hadn't always been that way. Grovyle remembered with some amusement their first meeting.

_"Hey! That's my bush! Get your own!"_

_ Grovyle looked up from the bush, a small number of not yet ripe berries hanging from its withered branches. It was a rare valuable find. Food was scarce and hunger gnawed at his stomach._

_ A human in black clothing, or at least Grovyle thought it was a human (he had never seen one before but this one more or less matched the image he had in his head) stood on the crest of a small hill above the bush, a white staff strapped on her back and arms crossed across her chest. Her long, light brown hair hung around a face set with determination. Her eyes were a startling blue, so bright among the bleak and dark surroundings, but they were the wrong shape, the iris oval instead of a circle. The eyes of a seer, Celebi had said, but both she and Grovyle knew that was only a guess, an attempt to explain away the unknown._

_ "I don't see your name on it," he growled. Not a very original come back, but come on, he was hungry!_

_ "How about I carve it into your forehead? 'Sol's bush, don't touch'."_

It had all gone downhill from there, and in the end a group of Pidgee had stolen the berries while they were caught up trying to kill each other. Cut and bruised they had stomped off in opposite directions.

What Grovyle wouldn't give to have his sarcastic, immature, secretive partner and best friend with him now. Sol was as far from perfect as a person could be, was a weird as they come, but hey, Sol put it best:

"Normal is boring. The search for normal is what fills people with regret, destroys dreams, leaves people wishing for more and wondering just what they did with their life. I'm weird, I'm flawed, I'm certifiably insane, and I'm proud of it."


	20. Sol and the Hero Worship

Sol scowered the edges of the room, lifted up the edges of the bed, rifled through the messy heaps of collected gear, looking for that much valued glint of shiny coins.

"Why don't you just keep your money in the Duskull Bank?" Eevee asked, watching his partner comb the room for any misplaced currency.

"'Cause he _really _creeps me out. And do you see how posessive he gets with the money? I wouldn't be surprised if he rolls around in it at night. I do not want the money I handle touching that."

Eevee rolled his eyes but didn't say anything more. There comes a point when you just have to accept a person's eccentricities.

Duskull really did creep Sol out. Sol was too embarresed to openly admit it, but she thought that it was mostly because he was a ghost

Pokémon. They just made her uncomfortable, always flitting about, floating off the ground with no explaination as to how that was even possible, alive but still somehow a ghost. Was that racism? Sol wasn't sure, but she was careful not to let it effect her actions.

Sol counted up her money, turning a messy pile of coin into a row of neat stacks. So close yet so far. After her staff had been destroyed (cough, Jak's fault, cough), Sol had been saving up to buy another and had her eye on a nice staff of polished oak. The Kecleons said that if she brought down a deposit of half the price, they'd keep it reserved for her until she had enough to pay the rest.

She collected the coins into her pack.

"Let's go," Sol said.

Eevee led the way down the hall followed by Sol with Jak trailing behind. Some sort of commotion could be heard from the main room ahead, the sounds of lots of people talking over each other. What was going on? They quickened their pace, and when Eevee suddenly stopped just inside the doorway at the end of the hallway, Sol almosy crashed into him.

"What's going on?" Sol asked, unable to get a clear view.

"It's him! He's really here!" Eevee practically screamed in delight, his body shaking with excitement.

"Who?"

"The great Dusknoir!"

Eevee ran in to join the crowd of apprentices watching a large ghost Pokémon, presumably Dusknoir, talking with the Guildmaster. Everyone seemed to be in awe, even Chatot, in the group with Dusknoir and Wigglytuff as he tried to be a part of the conversation like a child trying to fit in with the grownups. Everyone except for Sol and Jak, that is.

"Who's Dusknoir?" Sol asked.

It was scary how quickly everyone turned on her. It was like a whole 'Blasphemer!' moment.

"WHAT! You haven't heard of Dusknoir? The famous explorer?" Loudred yelled.

"How can you not have heard of him?" Eevee asked, completely aghast.

"That's, like, not surprising, really," Sunflora said, coming to her aid and calming the angry horde. "He's a totally new arrival on the scene! He, like, came out of nowhere! He became famous, like, overnight! They say his talents as an explorer are totally superexceptional!"

"He does things unlike anyone else!" Eevee said with stars in his eyes. Yep, this was one serious case of hero worpship. "First, he doesn't work in a team. He does all his exploring on his own. He's got to be sure of his skills to do that! But what's even more incredible? His wealth of knowledge! It seems there's nothing in the world he doesn't know!"

"So many Pokémon revere Dusknoir for his achievements," Sunflora said. "That's how I know the claims about his mighty knowledge must be true!"

Well if lots of people must believe something then it _must_ be true. Still, there must be something to this Dusknoir to get the whole guild drooling over him. Really, Bidoof looked like he was about to faint.

"Has Dusknoir come here before? Wigglytuff's looking pretty friendly."

"No! This is his first time," Loudred said. "That's just how the Guildmaster is, even if it's the first time he meets someone."

Sol watched along with the others, wondering what they were talking about. What would bring a famous explorer down here?

"Everyone, this is Dusknoir!" Wigglytuff eventually announced. As if everyone in the room wasn't well aware of he was by then. "He's going to stay in Treasure Town for a while. Mind yourself around him!"

"Now everyone," Chatot added, "our guest might be famous... but don't embarrass us by asking him for autographs!"

It was funny how everyone deflated at that.

"No, no!" Dusknoir cut in in a deep, booming voice. "If it's autographs you want, I'm sure I can oblige!" Everyone perked right up. "But I'm afraid you flatter me. I'm no different from all of you!"

He turned around as he said this, giving Sol a clear view of his. When she caught sight of his single red eye, her heart nearly stopped and her blood turned to ice.

_Sol was running, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Leafless branches scratched at her face, gnarled roots threatened to trip her. Everything is dark, so very dark, the world just a series of vague shadows and silhouettes._

Were they gaining on here? Was she going to be caught? Were the others all right?

She took a sharp right, veering onto a wider path. She stopped in her tracks and nearly fell, faced with a shadow and one cold, red eye blocking her way.

Sol blinked and shook her head. What was that? Another memory? What was the point of having these flashbacks if she couldn't see everything clearly? Just unidentifiable shadows.

"However, I would be delighted if I may be of service to you," Dusknoir continued. "If there is anything you wish to ask of me, please don't hesitate."

Spontaneous applause. Dusknoir left, and everyone chatted excitedly amongst themselves. As it turned out, the famous explorer had come to the guild to see how their expedition had gone. Wigglytuff had held true to the promise, however, and told him that they had found nothing of interest.

"Golly, that sure was something," Bidoof gushed.

"That was, like, totally the greatest experience of my life!"

"Did you SEE that? Dusknoir was definately sizing my up. It's only natural I would catch his attention, being a great explorer myself!"

"Wasn't that amazing, Sol?" Eevee asked. "Meeting such a world renown explorer!"

"I wouldn't say we _met_ him. More like was in the same room for a few minutes," Sol muttered.

"Jak does not trust him," Jak said with narrowed, suspicious eyes, standing apart from the main group.

"What?! How can you say that?" Eevee looked completely shocked at such a prospect.

"Jak does not trust him," she repeated. "He is hiding something."

Considering Jak didn't really trust anybody, that wasn't too surprising. Sol wasn't sure what to think. She wasn't star struck like Eevee was, but she didn't instantly assume the worst of him. Sol was quite curious to actually talk to him. There must be something to him to have earned such a reputation.

"Before you go all 'burn the heretic', let's get a move on," Sol said. "I still need to get to the market."

Sol grabbed each of them by the arm and dragged them along behind her. Jak didn't like going into town, but Sol thought it was past time she got used to it. Jak couldn't hide on the outskirts forever, no matter how much she might want to.

Treasure Town was already abuzz with news of Dusknoir's arrival. He really was quite the celebrity figure. Sol wondered if anyone asked for his autograph yet, and amused herself with the mental image of him getting chased down by a horde of fangirls, Bidoof and Eevee leading the charge. If Sol's teammates thought it was weird that she burst into laughter for no visible reason, they made no mention of it.

"Ah, Sol, what can we interest you in?" Grecks asked when Sol made her way up to the counter. "A warp orb, perhaps? Maybe a reviver seed?"

"Just here about the staff."

"Of course!" Boln said.

He disappeared for a moment behind a curtain where they stored the goods not on display. He returned with a long object wrapped in a sheet of thin leather. He set it down on the counter and unwrapped it, revealing the the light brown oak wood polished to a bright sheen, the ends capped with bits of metal.

Sol wanted it.

"Here's the deposit," Sol said, dumping the money on the counter.

"Perfect!" Grecks exclaimed. "We'll be sure to hold it in reserve for you. Now, about this reviver seed..."

It never ended with these two. With an amused smile Sol watched as they tried to peddle their wares. Sol wasn't sure how they did it, but instead of it being annoying it was actually pretty funny.

"Oh my gosh! It's you! It's an honour to meet you, Dusknoir sir!"

Sol turned to see Eevee fawning over a slightly uncomfortable Dusknoir. Jak had retreated when Sol wasn't watching and was now glaring at the scene from between two buildings across the road.

"Please, you flatter me," Dusknoir said. "I am just a simple explorer."

"That's not true!" Eevee exclaimed. "All you've done is nothing short of amazing! I'm Eevee, a member of Team Wanderers. This is my partner, and there's another one but I don't know where she went off to..."

Dusknoir glanced over to Sol then back to Eevee, but then swiveled back to her as if he had noticed something shocking. He stared hard at her for a long moment.

"You have the most unusual eyes," he finally said.

"Yeah... I'm surprised more people don't mention that."

Dusknoir looked like he wanted to say something more, but was drawn away by Eevee's c

barage of questions on his previous exploits.

"Is it true that you took down the infamous Magmar brothers? Or that you scouted the shadow plains all by yourself? Or what about the time you set out on a rescue mission to the Evernight swamp? Just, wow. I can't believe I'm really talking to you right now! Or am I? Is this a dream? It better not be a dream! Sol, pinch me!"

Way to keep your cool, Eevee.

"Um, Eevee, how about we head back to the guild, get a start on those jobs?"

From the look on his face one could have guessed he was told his house just burned down. But he followed Sol as she led them out of town and Jak eventually reappeared while on the road back to the guild.

"Oh my gosh, that was incredible!" Eevee went on, snapping back to his usually cheerful self pretty quickly, "I still can't believe I've actually met him! Spoken to him, even! I mean, me! Who'd have thought that _I_ would meet the famous Dusknoir!"

"So you've said. Several times."

"This one thinks you should be wary. He is hiding something. Jak can tell."

Eevee completely ignored her. No one would ruin his hero for him.

"What do you think? Regular job or a bounty?" Sol said, trying to change the subject.

"You know, Dusknoir usually sticks to rescuing and scouting out unmapped areas."

"We are not Dusknoir!"

"No need to snap! I'm just sharing an interesting fact I thought we all could enjoy."

"'That we all could enjoy'? You do realize we're not all in love with Dusknoir."

"I'm not in love with him! I just think he's a great explorer!"

"So not love, just a serious case of hero worship. You think Chimecho has a remedy for that?"

"A dose of reality, perhaps," Jak said in a voice full of barely contained disgust. She really wasn't liking this whole Dusknoir situation. Sol supposed that back in the wild one doesn't idolize someone they've never met, and words of his exploits aren't worth the wind they're carried on. Jak would have to see first hand Dusknoir prove his skill before he earned an ounce of respect from the Charmander.

Sol still wasn't sure what to think of him just yet. He seemed like an all right sort, putting up with Eevee's antics without complaint or turning into an arrogant, demeaning douche. But was he has skilled as his reputation claimed? She would have to wait and see. Sol hoped it was true, not only because people like that were sorely needed, but because she did not want to see Eevee's idol turn out to be a fake. That would crush his spirit to a fine pulp.


End file.
